A make-ahead vegetarian Christmas dinner

The menu for Fri 25 Dec

The main and the gravy are made. You do the potatoes. Each recipe makes 8 portions and is vegetarian.

Pick a main

• Squash, goats cheese and cranberry Wellington Roast squash, dark sticky onions, lentils, goats cheese and cranberries rolled in puff pastry. Two Wellingtons, each for 4. With roast potatoes, sprouts and the gravy.
• Cranberry and cheddar nut roast Cashews, walnuts, kidney beans and cheddar with cranberries, under a crunchy honey and pecan top. Two loaves, each for 4. With roast potatoes, carrots and the gravy.
• Chestnut, mushroom and sage roast Chestnuts, mushrooms and lentils with sage and onion, baked on a layer of cranberry and turned out. Two loaves, each for 4. With roast potatoes, parsnips and the gravy, which is vegan too.

On the side

• Onion and red wine gravy Slow-cooked onions, red wine and a spoonful of cranberry. Made on your cook day, so there’s no gravy to make on the day.
• Braised red cabbage with apple Red cabbage cooked slowly with bramley apple, red wine vinegar and a little cinnamon, until soft, sweet and sharp.
• Sage and onion stuffing balls Buttery onions, fresh sage and thyme rolled into breadcrumb balls, frozen unbaked and baked until crisp.

When to make it

• Sat 21 and Sun 22 Nov Braised red cabbage with apple, or Sage and onion stuffing balls
• Sat 28 and Sun 29 Nov Onion and red wine gravy
• Sat 5 and Sun 6 Dec Squash, goats cheese and cranberry Wellington, or Cranberry and cheddar nut roast, or Chestnut, mushroom and sage roast

The rest of Christmas fits around these. Christmas, a weekend at a time has every weekend, or cook it all on one day.

The night before and on the day

These come from the Food Standards Agency.

Christmas Day

1. Heat the oven and put the potatoes on to roast.
2. Bake the Wellington, or warm the nut roast or the chestnut roast, as its recipe’s last steps say.
3. Bake the stuffing balls on the shelf below.
4. Warm the gravy and the red cabbage on the hob while the main rests.

Questions

Can you make Christmas dinner ahead and freeze it?

Yes, all but the potatoes and greens. The Wellington and the stuffing balls are frozen unbaked and baked on the day. The nut roast, the chestnut roast, the gravy and the red cabbage are cooked and frozen, then warmed through.

What’s the best vegetarian main for Christmas dinner?

Pick the squash, goats cheese and cranberry Wellington for a centrepiece, the cranberry and cheddar nut roast for a crunchy top, or the chestnut, mushroom and sage roast if anyone is vegan.

When should I make it?

We make the main on the weekend of Sat 5 and Sun 6 Dec, the gravy at the end of November and the red cabbage and stuffing balls the weekend before.

A make-ahead Christmas Eve dinner Make-ahead Boxing Day food