The Best Ideas For Vegetarian Xmas Dinner

So you have been invited to a Christmas dinner party this year and the hosts have told you that it is going to be a strictly vegetarian affair?   You have been asked so as not to bring any meat products but your mind is racing with ideas on how to fill up during the holiday season.

The main course is going to be a vegetable bake of some kind, maybe filled with cheesy goodness or even livened up with some spices, but what about the starter and if there’s no turkey then how do I get my veggies in?

Top 10 Vegetarian Xmas Dinner Ideas:

Well don’t despair there are a whole host of dishes you can make that will see you filling full of festive cheer without ever having had to eat a single sprig of broccoli!

10)  Christmas Salad

You may find it difficult to fill your plate with salad when you are surrounded by all the wonderful smells of Christmas but this is where you must stand firm and stick to your guns.  For a starter why not make up a festive version of an old classic? You could start off with a gorgeous Waldorf salad like this one:

Or how about something zingy and fruity like this, which also includes pomegranate seeds as these are said to bring good luck for the coming year!

9) Stuffed Mushrooms

These are a good hearty starter and make great use of your breadcrumbs.  You will need to soak the mushrooms in water for 20 minutes before baking them but this is not as tricky or time consuming as it sounds, simply place them in a bowl, cover them with boiling water and leave to sit.

8) Bruschetta

This is another great way to make use of all those breadcrumbs; drizzle some olive oil over some toasted bread, top with chopped tomatoes, basil and seasoning.  There are many different variations on bruschetta you could be inventive but here is a basic recipe to get started with.

7) Sweetcorn Fritters

This is another great use of your leftover bread, it’s low in fat and takes minutes to make meaning you can have these tasty treats on the table within half an hour!

6) Lo Mein

This is a lovely, light dish to begin your meal with, perfect for cleansing the palate it contains plenty of healthy vegetables and noodles so you don’t need to worry about feeling hungry whilst waiting for your other courses.  Serve this up as an accompaniment to any of the dishes above or simply on its own.

5) Roast Potatoes

This may seem like table scum after not eating all that lovely turkey but there are ways around this; sweet potatoes can be roasted exactly the same way and taste just as delicious.  You could also cook up some parsnips which go really well with roasted vegetables, or why not buy some pre-cooked potatoes and simply heat them in the oven?  Alternatively if you don’t mind taking a few more minutes you can always make your very own roasties!

4) Coleslaw

This is one of my favourite salads and tastes great no matter what time of year it is served up in. You can mix things up by adding different vegetables to the coleslaw mix but I recommend keeping to two varieties max otherwise things get messy when its comes to mixing and serving.  I would recommend simply buying a coleslaw mix from the supermarket so you don’t find yourself washing up a mountain of different vegetables, if you can’t be bothered to go to the shops then there are also many great recipes online that will show you how to make your own version.

3) Portobello Mushroom Burger

As we all know meat eaters love burgers and vegetarians want in on the action too! These big bad boys make for a delicious alternative; they wonderful cooked under the grill (broiler) or even on a hot barbecue.  They can be served with all the usual burger fixings and extras that would come with eating beef burgers too; mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup (tomato sauce), gherkins (pickles) and of course cheese!

2) Roasted Roots

If you don’t like coleslaw and aren’t keen on plain old roast potatoes then why not give these tasty little numbers a try?  There are many different ways to make roasted roots but I find the three vegetable mix below works best.  You could also add in some parsnips too, they work really well roasted and go down a treat at Christmas time.

1) Roast Vegetable Lasagne

And finally we have the lasagne, this is of course another Italian classic that can be made into a hearty vegetarian dish with ease.  I’m not going to go on about how wonderful lasagne is too much but I will say this; it’s one of my favourite dishes and tastes great whether served up on Christmas day or on any other occasion.

So that’s it for this year, I hope you enjoy the dishes!