This recipe is destined to be the star of your vegetarian Christmas dinner this year: cheesy carrot nut roast!
Not to blow my own trumpet or anything (even though I totally am), but I think this may well be the ultimate nut roast recipe. It would be absolutely perfect for Christmas dinner - or any other dinner, come to that. It's cheesy and flavourful, it's packed with protein, and it goes beautifully alongside roast potatoes and gravy.
I know that some nut roasts aren't particularly inspiring. But far from being dry and tasteless like some that I've been served in the past (and, let's be honest, one or two I've made myself...), this nut roast recipe starts off with a crumble-style oat mixture which gives it a really lovely, hearty texture, and makes it feel like a real treat. Cannellini beans and walnuts add protein and make it nice and chunky, and grated carrot and a bit of cheddar cheese add a huge amount of flavour. I'm practically drooling just thinking about it.
Rather than serving up my nut roast in loaf form, I cooked it in a shallow roasting dish. Bigger surface area = more crispy bits on top = even more delicious.
If you'd prefer to make a loaf, I'm sure that would be great too - I'd probably just turn down the oven a little, and cook it for a longer amount of time to make sure it cooks right the way to the centre.
All in all, this is one nut roast I could quite happily eat every single day (in fact, you may even want to double the recipe to make sure you have plenty of leftovers!).
We're getting seriously close to Christmas now, with just over a week to go. What are your plans for Christmas dinner? Make sure you share your photos with me, I'd love to see! If you still need some inspiration, check out my collection of vegetarian Christmas dinner recipes!
📖 Printable Recipe
Cheesy Carrot Nut Roast
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 80 g butter, melted (~ ¼ cup)
- 65 g plain flour (~ ½ cup)
- 65 g rolled oats (~ ½ cup)
- 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 ¼ cups, when drained)
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 100 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 ⅓ cups grated)
- 100 g walnuts (~ 1 cup), roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter with the flour and oats, and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, season well, and mix thoroughly.
- Spread the mixture out in a lightly greased roasting tray, and bake for around 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Norma says
Made this today and although it tasted nice we found it a bit dry. If I make it again would maybe serve with tomatoes.
Becca Heyes says
Interesting! I find that the cheesy butter and flour elements help to keep it moist. But some tomatoes on the side would be great regardless :)
Sarah Rose says
this has been one of my absolute favourite meals since I discovered it a year or two ago - I usually make a double batch, and freeze the seven spare servings for future meals (they freeze beautifully stacked up in glass pyrex tubs, with baking paper in between, and reheat wonderfully in the microwave)! I have a lot of dietary restrictions so I have to leave out the herbs and pepper, but garlic powder and sometimes some frozen corn make wonderful replacements.
Tonight I'm making it for a Christmas lunch tomorrow for the first time, and I'm hoping everyone else loves it as much as I do!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Ahhh thanks Sarah, that's lovely feedback, thanks for the freezing tips! :)
Hannah Megee says
Thank you for the recipe! I have made this four times now and just made a batch for Christmas Day. I love nut roast and have tried loads of recipes over the years and this is the best recipe I’ve found. Thanks again!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much Hannah, hope you enjoyed your Christmas dinner!
Jennifer Bailey says
I made this for Christmas dinner, I used chickpeas instead of cannellini beans as my non veggie husband likes them and he agreed to have the nut roast instead of meat. It was delicious and I warmed the left overs and had it the day after with more cheese sprinkled on the top and a side of beetroot. Will definitely make it again, thank you for sharing the recipe!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Awesome, thanks Jennifer - glad your husband agreed :D
Liz says
I had been eyeing this recipe for weeks. Yesterday I gave it a try. While I was mixing it up, I thought, "Oh, dear. I've just wasted a cup of walnuts." But it was wonderful! More than wonderful! Thanks so much.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Haha! Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if it didn't look so appealing in the mixing bowl! ;)
Liz says
Oh, I didn't mean to imply that it didn't look appetizing. I just couldn't see how it would come together to make a loaf. It seemed sort of ... loose and disorganized. But it baked up into chewy, crunchy, deliciousness.
Ttrockwood says
Why won't nut roasts come to the US?? We seem to have every type of veggie burger there is yet it's near impossible to find a nut roast even in vegetarian restaurants. Obviously i'll be making this one, the addition of carrots sounds great and are one of the few winter veg always in the markets
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I had no idea they weren't common in the US! They're very common here - almost every pub will serve a roast dinner every Sunday, and there's usually a veggie option - which is often a nut roast! You should definitely try making your own instead, I hope you enjoy this one! :)
Laura says
This looks so moorish and incredibly delicious! Laura
Suzanne says
I am just wondering if I could substitute cashews for the walnuts...I have a bag that needs using and this looks just the thing!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Absolutely! I love carrot and cashews together :)
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
Delicious roast. I used to go to the Crank's cafe when in my first job. Always so good.
Sheila Reeves says
They have only just been approved??! Cranks have been around as long as me (yes I am that old ;)) )