The best nut roast
A great traditional British recipe for meat eaters and vegetarians. Serve with a spicy tomato sauce for extra flavour
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8
Freeze ahead
100g (4oz) pecan nuts
100g (4oz) Brazil nuts
60g (21/2oz) almonds, blanched
2tbsp pumpkin seeds
25g (1oz) unsalted butter
5 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1tsp sherry vinegar
1/2tsp English mustard powder
3tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1tbsp sage leaves, roughly chopped
3 large eggs, beaten
150g (5oz) Red Leicestershire cheese or strong Cheddar
400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes, drained
You will need a 900g (2lb) loaf tin
1 Gently toast the nuts and pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, stirring gently until golden. Allow to cool then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped, but do not let the nuts turn into a powder.
2 Melt the butter in a small frying pan and sweat the shallots and garlic for 5 minutes or until soft.
3 Preheat the oven to 180 C, 160 C fan, 350 F, gas 4. Grease the tin, line the base with baking parchment, then grease again.
4 In a large bowl, combine the nut mixture with the cooked shallots and all the remaining ingredients. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.
5 Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until firm and golden. Leave to cool slightly, then turn out on to a serving plate and carefully peel away the baking parchment.
Per serving: 393cals, 35g fat, 9.8g saturated fat, 4.5g carbohydrates
How to get the most from your roast
To make smaller quantities of the nut roast, divide the mixture between two 450g (1lb) loaf tins and reduce the cooking time to 30 minutes.
The nut roast can be wrapped well in baking paper and foil, then frozen for up to a month. To reheat, wrap in foil and place in a hot oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
It is delicious cold and would make an ideal dish to take on a picnic, especially served with a tomato salad.
You can vary the nuts in this recipe. Try using walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans instead – whatever takes your fancy!
For the rich tomato sauce, just heat up some passata, season well and add a few splashes of Tabasco sauce.
Try one of our other traditional British roasts:
Rib of beef
Easy roast duck
Loin of pork
Or why not try one of our other traditional British recipes?
If you love vegetarian food try one of our top veggie recipes
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