8 Hearty Vegetarian Recipes for Christmas Dinner

Hey vegetarians! Struggling for Christmas dinner inspo? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

There are plenty of budget-friendly veggie recipes out there for a scrumptious student Christmas dinner on a budget.

You and your mates won’t have to spend shed loads of money to make yummy food, you just need to make sure you have affordable vegetarian cooking ingredients.

Take note of these recipes and you’ll be cooking up a storm in your cosy student accommodation in no time.

Get ready to impress your family and friends with your cooking skills!

Affordable Vegetarian Cooking Ingredients

1. Lentils

lentils are affordable vegeterian cooking ingredient

Lentils are an absolute staple for a veggies food cupboard, we’d recommend dried over canned because they taste that little bit nicer.

They can be used for a variety of yummy dishes including curries, salads and even soups!

2. Brown Rice/Quinoa

brown rice and quinoa

Brown rice and quinoa are perfect to pair with any meal, it’s definitely worth buying these ingredients in bulk because they literally go with everything.

Whether it’s a veggie curry or a stir fry, there are loads of meals you can create with brown rice/quinoa!

3. Tinned Tomatoes

vegan cooking ingredient is tomatoes

Psst! Grab yourself a few tins of chopped tomatoes, you won’t regret it! The idea of tinned tomatoes may sound a little bland, but there’s so much you can make with them.

Rustle yourself up a nice tomatoey pasta or maybe a vegetarian spag bol?

4. Tofu

tofu cubes are great for vegeterian ingredients

A super popular food which comes from soya is Tofu, also known as bean curd.

It’s a fabulous plant protein sauce and can be used for many tasty dishes including tofu & spinach cannelloni and even breakfast pancakes!

You can grab tofu from pretty much any supermarket and it won’t break the bank either, what a winner!

5. Eggs

eggs are great vegetarian ingredient

Everybody loves eggs, right? The opportunities are endless with this magical ingredient, you can be pretty much sorted for brekkie, lunch and dinner.

Whether they’re poached, boiled, fried or in an omelette, you need eggs in your kitchen for endless yummy meals.

6. Kidney Beans

red kindney beans are vegeterian ingredient

Kidney Beans are a super filling ingredient, you can stock up on plenty of tins and not worry about it costing a fortune!

They’re great for nice hearty dishes that will fill you up in no time, we’d recommend popping them in a salad or a curry.

7. Chickpeas

chickpeas are vegetarian ingredient

This super tasty ingredient is full of vitamins, mineral, fibre, and basically all the good stuff!

You can get tinned chickpeas for a great price, and they’re perfect to keep in your cupboard for a rainy day.

8. Pasta

pasta is perfect for vegetarians

Carbs are life! We’re sure you don’t need us to tell you to stock up with plenty of pasta, as a student you’re probs fully aware.

A pasta dish is just the perfect meal, especially for veggie students! Quick, easy, and delicious, what more could you want?

 

Budget-Friendly Recipes For Christmas

Ho Ho Ho! Are you feeling festive yet? Let’s crack on with your budget-friendly vegetarian recipes for Christmas, your tummy is bound to be rumbling after this!

1. Nut Roast

nut roast is a great vegetarian recipe for Christmas dinner

This delish vegetarian loaf with lentils, chestnut mushrooms and cheese is always a winner on Christmas, served with classic roast dinner trimmings for extra tastiness!

You’ll need a few key ingredients for this, including onion, celery, chestnut mushrooms, pepper, carrot, lentils, breadcrumbs and eggs, but you can see the full recipe.

To finish, serve the nut roast with a tomato sauce made from garlic cloves, rosemary, passata and extra virgin oil.

The best part? These ingredients cost barely anything, which means you can spend more money on presents!

2. Vegetarian Wellington

vegetarian wellington is a great Christmas recipe

Beef wellington is a classic Christmassy dish, so why not put a veggie spin on it and create a vegetarian-friendly wellington?

The recipe itself for this is a little complicated, but trust us, with a bit of patience and some help from your mates, you’ll smash it!

Some of the main ingredients include butternut squash, closed cup mushrooms, double cream, cooked beetroot, shallots and cooked chestnuts.

Tuck into beetroot, mushroom and butternut squash wrapped in a delicious golden pastry and feel your taste-buds tingle.

3. Cranberry And Lentil Bake

cranberry and lentil bake is great for Vegetarian christmas meal

Cranberry is a generally super festive ingredient, so this cranberry and lentil bake is bound to get you in the mood for the most wonderful time of the year!

You can make this up to two days before serving, so if you want to be totes organised to avoid any mishaps, you can.

Ingredients include dried cranberries, red wine, cooked puy lentils, sage, soy sauce, cornflour and chopped sage.

This vegetarian recipe for Christmas dinner is pretty simple actually! You’ve basically got to mix everything together, spoon the mixture into a ramekin, and heat for 15 minutes on a baking tray.

Get ready to impress your friends and family with this rather posh but very simple dish, hurrah!

Check out the full recipe.

4. Cheese & Onion Slice

cheese and onion slice for Vegetarian Christmas dinner

This recipe is great for a cheeky buffet in the evening because who doesn’t love a buffet, right?

Anything with cheese and buttery puff pastry is a winner, which is why the cheese & onion slice is a definite crowd-pleaser.

You’ll need baking potatoes, mature cheddar, spring onions, eggs, all-butter puff pastry and a jar of caramelised red onions.

Check out the full recipe and be prepared for your belly to rumble.

5. Butternut Dauphinoise

butternut dauphinoise for vegetarian christmas meal

Mmmm double cream *drools* what more could a student want from a vegetarian recipe for Christmas dinner!?

For this super delicious dish you’ll need double cream, whole milk, large butternut squash and some hard cheese.

This is basically a recipe for dauphinoise potatoes but you’re swapping the dauphinoise for butternut squash, yay healthy!

6. Mixed Mushroom Stuffing

mixed mushroom for christmas dinner

Stuffing is a great addition to a Christmas meal, with bags of flavour and extra scrumptiousness.

If you’re a fan of loads of garlic and nuts, this vegetarian stuffing recipe for Christmas dinner is deffo for you! You’ll need mixed wild mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms, thyme, pecans or hazelnuts and a few more bits.

This classic Jamie Oliver recipe is a fabulous addition to your Christmas dinner and is pretty easy to make too!

The best part is, you’ll need stale bread as an ingredient, so if you’ve been lazy and forgot to throw it out, you can put it to good use 😊

7. Christmas Curry

vegetarian christmas curry

Hats off to you Jamie Oliver, you’ve created another banger of a Christmas recipe, and this time, it’s a curry!

Destined to put “fire in your belly” this warming curry has some super tasty ingredients including ginger, garlic, aubergines, chillies, cinnamon, cauliflower and tomatoes.

Granted, this recipe is a little daunting if you’re not too familiar with some of the ingredients, but with a bit of perseverance, you’re bound to rustle something up yummy.

This is a perfect Christmas eve dish, full of flavour, perhaps you could impress your parents with your culinary skills!

8. Creamy Baked Cauliflower

cauliflower cheese vegetarian christmas meal

This hearty recipe is bound to put a smile on your face, with plenty of butter and milk for ultimate creaminess, one of the best vegetarian recipes for Christmas dinner

You’ll need whole milk, onions, bay leaves, cauliflower, butter, plain flower, breadcrumbs and nutmeg!

Luckily for students, this vegetarian dish is quite easy to make, and pretty cheap too, yay.

We hope you take some inspo from these super delicious, hearty vegetarian recipes on a budget. Just because you’re a student doesn’t mean you can’t impress your family and your pals with some immense culinary skills!

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