Tired of the same old Christmas nut roast or Wellington and looking for a crowd-pleasing vegan main? This vegan leek and mushroom Christmas bake is going to convert even your not-so-veggie family and friends. It is an alternative that actually feels exciting. The sweet, buttery leeks and savoury chestnut mushrooms, with a generous amount of melty dairy-free cheddar and savoury parmesan, provide the signature flavours of this dish, and tofu adds valuable protein. The result is a rich, deeply flavoured, sliceable bake that can hold its own next to the turkey!
Why You'll Love the Leek & Mushroom Christmas Bake
- An umami-rich vegan main course alternative to a traditional meat roast. A great idea of what to serve instead of Turkey.
- Sliceable, hearty and satisfying for both vegans and meat-eaters. Tofu provides protein to satisfy vegans and vegetarians.
- Ideal as a centrepiece for a Christmas table. Pair it with Christmas classics - roast potatoes, vegan gravy, sprouts and cranberry sauce.
- One-dish vegan bake with simple steps.
- Just like the Turkey, this can be served as a leftover for Boxing Day, either reheated or cold.
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Key Ingredients & Notes
- Leek & white onion & garlic - These alliums provide a gentle, natural sweetness and flavour base to the dish.
- Chestnut mushrooms - Add a nutty, earthy note to the dish, giving it substantial umami depth. Provides the dish with a "meaty" element. Together with the leeks, they provide a warming, savoury, cosy feel to the dish.
- Breadcrumbs and Flaxseed powder - These bind the ingredients together, giving the bake structure.
- Firm tofu - Included to add protein. It also helps to provide some body to the dish.
- Dairy-free cheddar & parmesan - Helps reinforce the umami flavour and gives that salty, melty, cheesy richness.
- Parsley & Thyme - Thyme for festive flavour and Parsley for freshness and colour.
See the recipe card for quantities
How To Make Leek and Mushroom Christmas Bake
- Rub the inside of the cake tin, both the bottom and sides, with vegan butter.
- Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Grate the vegan parmesan cheese and sprinkle it onto the bottom of the cake tin.
- Cut the leek into ยพ inch pieces. Use only the white and light green parts of the leeks. Set them aside.
- Cut the remaining part of each leek in half, then thinly slice (see the photo above).
- Finely dice the onions and roughly chop the garlic.
- Finely chop the mushrooms, or use a food processor for a quick rough blitz.
- Grate the vegan cheddar, and roughly chop the parsley.
- Preheat the oven to 180ยบC.
- Break the firm tofu into small chunks and spread onto the baking tray-season with salt and pepper. Add olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Once done, set aside.
- In a pan, heat olive oil and place the ยพ-inch leek pieces, cut side down, to caramelise.
- It should take three to four minutes. Add butter and then caramelise the other end.
- Transfer the caramelised leek pieces to the tin and arrange them as shown on top of the grated vegan parmesan cheese.
- In the same saucepan that you caramelised the leek pieces, fry the chopped onions until translucent. Add the garlic and finely sliced leek and cook until soft. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Again, in the same saucepan, add olive oil and, once hot, add the chopped mushrooms in batches, cooking until browned.
- Once cooked, transfer to a bowl with the finely chopped cooked leeks, garlic, and onion, and mix.
- To the bowl containing the leek/mushroom mix, add the chopped parsley, flaxseed powder, thyme (removed from the stem), breadcrumbs and half of the grated vegan cheddar cheese. Mix well and adjust seasoning as required.
- Into the cake tin containing the ยพ inch leek pieces, add the other half of the vegan cheddar, making sure it fills the gaps between the leeks.
- Then add the baked tofu pieces.
- Next, add the leek and mushroom mixture. Press down and ensure it is evenly spread.
- Finally, add a layer of grated vegan parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven at 180ยบC for 30 minutes.
- To check that it is cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of the bake. If it comes out clean, then it is done.
- Then, put under the grill for 5 to 10 minutes to give the vegan parmesan cheese some colour.
- When ready to serve, place a serving plate over the tin and carefully turn the tin upside down.
- Remove the parchment paper. Cut into slices and serve with Cranberry sauce.
Substitutions & Variations
In this vegan leek and mushroom bake, flaxseed powder is used as a binding agent and vegan cheddar and vegan parmesan cheese are used for flavour. In a non-vegan version, you can replace the flaxseed powder with three eggs, and the vegan cheddar and parmesan with dairy cheddar and parmesan cheese.
Chestnut or Button mushrooms are best for this recipe, as they are easy to chop into fine pieces. However, you can use Portobello mushrooms as well.
For another herby addition to the recipe, why not add some oregano?
Use a loaf tin to create a shape that is easier to slice portions from.
Equipment
The following equipment is required to make this recipe:
- 18-inch Cake tin or a loaf tin.
- Baking tray.
- Digital scales - I always recommend them because of their accuracy.
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat for 10 minutes in the oven at 180ยบC. Although it is possible to freeze, I do not recommend it because it may end up soggy after thawing.
Top Tip
I suggest cooking the mushrooms in batches. Mushrooms contain a lot of water, and when cooked together they steam and release a lot of water, which can make them lose flavour. Cooking in batches helps lock in moisture, so consequently you avoid ending up with soggy, rubbery, slimy, or mushy mushrooms. Cooking in batches will give you rich, caramelised mushrooms.
FAQ
Yes, this leek and mushroom vegan Christmas main is designed as a genuine alternative to a roast dinner. It has plenty of umami flavour, with mushrooms and tofu providing meatiness and protein.
Absolutely. Meal prep for Christmas Day can be stressful, so you can prepare the leek and mushroom bake the day before, just don't put it under the grill for colour. Cool it down, cover, and refrigerate overnight. On Christmas Day, do the final reheating for 10 to 15 minutes in the oven and 5 minutes under the grill. Finally, turn it over onto your serving dish, remove the paper, and serve hot.
Yes, you can. Just use gluten-free bread to make the breadcrumbs,, and make sure the vegan cheeses you use say gluten-free on the label. All the other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
A potential tofu replacement could be Tempeh. It is soy based but firmer with a nutty flavour. Pan-fry it before adding to the bake. You can also try Seitan if you want something that is more "meat-like". Note that it is not gluten-free though. Pan-sear it before adding to the bake. A dairy alternative could be paneer - it has a similar protein content to firm tofu. If you wish, you can omit the tofu altogether.
Related Recipes
Looking for other festive vegan recipes like this? Try these.
Pairing Suggestions
These are my favourite dishes to serve with my vegan leek and mushroom Christmas bake.
๐ Recipe
Leek & Mushroom Christmas Bake (Vegan)
Equipment
- 1 8 inch Cake Tin
- 1 Baking tray
- Digital scales
Ingredients
- 600 g Leek
- 100 g White onion
- 20 g Garlic
- 500 g Chestnut mushroom
- 2 g Thyme a few stems
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ยฝ teaspoon Black pepper
- 150 g Dairy-free cheddar cheese
- 50 g Dairy-free Parmesan cheese
- 25 g Dairy-free butter
- 3 tablespoon Flaxseed powder
- 30 g Parsley
- 300 g Firm Tofu
- 50 g Breadcrumbs
- 250 ml Cranberry sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the baking tin by rubbing butter on the bottom and wall. Then line the tin with a cut disc of parchment paper on the bottom and separately cut paper to line the wall of the tin.
- Grate the vegan parmesan cheese and sprinkle it on the bottom of the tin.
- Wash and pat dry the leek, mushroom, thyme and parsley.
- Cut the leek into about ยพ of an inch sized length. You should have about 20 to 24 in number. Use only the white and light green parts of the leek.
- Cut the leftover part of the leek in half. Then slice the leek thinly.
- Fine-dice the onions and roughly chop the garlic.
- Finely chop the mushrooms or alternatively place in a food processor and roughly chop them.
- Roughly chop the parsley.
- Grate the Cheddar cheese.
- Pre heat the oven to 180ยบC. (fan assisted)
- Drain the tofu and breakdown into smaller chunks on a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper, and add olive oil Bake in the oven at 180ยบC for 10 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a pan, and place the leek cut side down to caramelise. It should take two to three minutes. Add butter and once it's caramelised, turn each leek over to caramelise the other side.
- Remove the leek once done and transfer and arrange into the prepared tin, sitting on top of the grated vegan parmesan cheese.
- In the same pan you caramelised the leeks in, fry the chopped onions until translucent. Then add the garlic and chopped up leek and season with salt. Cook until the leek is soft. Transfer into a bowl.
- Again, in the same saucepan, add oil. Once the oil is hot, cook the mushrooms in batches. Cooking in small batched prevents excessive moisture release from the mushrooms. Once done transfer the cooked mushrooms to the bowl with the leek and mix together.
- Then add the chopped parsley, flaxseed powder, thyme (removed from stems), half of the grated cheddar and the breadcrumbs to the leek and mushroom mixture. Mix everything to combine. Check and adjust seasoning if required.
- In the baking tin with the ยพ leek lengths, add half of the grated cheddar and make sure to fill the gaps in between the leek.
- Now add the baked tofu chunks. Follow this with the mushroom and leek mix. Firmly press down, ensuring it is even. Smooth the top.
- Grate the vegan parmesan cheese on top and bake in the oven at 180ยบC for 30 minutes and then grill for 5 to 10 minutes. Please note that if using dairy-free parmesan cheese, it will not melt fully and may take longer to colour under the grill. Grilling is only to get some colour.
- Once it is baked, insert a skewer into the bake to check that it is cooked through. If the skewer comes out clean, it is done.
- When you are ready to serve, place a serving plate on top of the tin and carefully holding each side, turn the tin over to release the cake onto the plate. Remove the parchment paper. Cut desired slices and serve hot with cranberry sauce.
Nutrition
NOTES
Food Safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 ยฐF (74 ยฐC).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
Oli says
Delicious centerpiece for a vegan christmas dinner! Easy to make and so tasty!
Chef Tripti says
thank you very much!