Vegetarian Nut Roast Pie

Published: Dec 14, 2015 · Modified: Jul 24, 2020

Vegetarian nut roast pie - an impressive mixed nut roast pie with vegetarian hot water crust pastry, perfect as a Christmas centerpiece.

Like fruitcake, nut roast is another very divisive and much-maligned food; oft-mocked and shunned by vegetarians in favour of something a little less clichè, it is rare nowadays to find it on a menu anywhere. Which is a shame as it is both incredibly nutritious and, if done well, extremely delicious.

I make nut roast fairly regularly, both I and my fiance love it, and it works perfectly with all of the usual roast dinner trimmings; any leftovers also make great sandwiches with some cheese and chutney.

It is also perfect for Christmas dinner as a vegetarian option (though it does also go down well with the meat eaters) as it can be served with all the same sides as the main roast.

A regular nut roast is a little plain-looking though, too boring for a proper festive dinner; this vegetarian nut roast pie however makes for a very impressive centerpiece, making sure that any vegetarians don't feel left out and under-catered for.

I'm not going to pretend that this is a quick recipe, but it is easy to make and the filling can be prepared the day beforehand and kept, covered, in the fridge; let it come up to room temperature before assembling and baking the pie.

I made a vegetarian version of hot water crust pastry (which usually contains lard) which is very easy to make and very forgiving; it contains far less fat than shortcrust which does mean that it isn't as rich and crumbly, but the stronger structure means that it can easily support the large, lofty pie without caving or falling apart when you try to move it.

It is a slightly strange method which involves mixing flour, salt and beaten egg together, heating butter and water until boiling then beating it into the flour mixture.

The resulting pastry is quite soft but give it ten minutes or so in the fridge and it becomes easily workable and there is no need to be gentle with it unlike shortcrust.

The recipe makes a generous amount, enough to easily line the tin, make the lid and leave some to cut out some festive decorations to adorn the top of the pie. I went for a simple star design (I have a limited selection of cutters) but let your imagination run wild.

Because it is such a large pie it does take a while to bake, up to 1 ½ hours and you will need to cover the top with foil after a while to prevent it from burning.

For the filling I used a mixture of nuts - brazils, cashews, almonds and walnuts, which I toasted to intensify the flavour before finely chopping them and mixing with breadcrumbs, mature cheddar (you can use stilton if you are that way inclined, I'm not.), cooked onion, garlic and mushrooms, herbs and mashed parsnips and eggs to bind.

This vegetarian nut roast pie is hearty and filling, with a rich, savoury flavour; I served it with creamy root vegetable gratin, greens and homemade cranberry sauce, but it would also be good with roast or mashed potatoes and some vegetarian gravy.

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4.75 from 4 votes