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Roasted broccoli, chilli and ricotta cake.

Recipe collection

25 vegetarian mains that will steal the festive show

Guarantee a Christmas hit. These meat-free centrepieces – from rustic galettes to showy whole cauliflowers – are so delicious, even the omnivores will be eyeing them off.

25 recipes
Dill oil and a mountain of dill fronds add wow factor to this whole roasted cauliflower.

Whole roasted cauliflower with a mountain of dill

  • Hetty McKinnon
Springtime pea galette with herby goat’s cheese.
EASY

Herby goat’s cheese, leek and pea tart

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Emelia Jackson
Tomato and olive tapenade tart.

Danielle Alvarez’s tomato and olive tapenade tart

  • 2 hrs +
  • Danielle Alvarez
Helen Goh's roasted broccoli, chilli and ricotta cake.

Roasted broccoli, chilli and ricotta cake

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Helen Goh
Spring greens and cheese pie.

Helen Goh’s spring greens and cheese pie

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Helen Goh
Serve up with some dressed leaves.
EASY

Zucchini and ricotta tart

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Julia Busuttil Nishimura
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This greens-filled pie travels well for picnics.

Veg-packed picnic pie

  • Dom Gattermayr and Rose Richards
Pizza rice.

One-pot pizza rice

  • Lucy Tweed
You can use baby spinach but English spinach has a far superior flavour.

Artichoke, green olive and spinach spiral filo pie

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Serve with a greek salad on the side.
EASY

Tiropita (Greek cheese pie)

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Helen Goh’s thin zucchini tart with basil and mint.
EASY

Thin zucchini tart with basil and mint

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Helen Goh
Vegetarian Wellington with roasted spiced pumpkin, feta and grains.

Vegetarian Wellington with roasted spiced pumpkin, feta and grains

  • 2 hrs +
  • Katrina Meynink
Pumpkin, feta and shallot tart.
EASY

Roast pumpkin and shallot tart with harissa and cumin dressing

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Katrina Meynink
Ligurian greens torta.

Ligurian torta with greens and three-cheeses

  • 2 hrs +
  • Danielle Alvarez
Baked spiced ricotta cake with a central layer of jammy tomatoes.

Baked spiced ricotta with slow-roasted tomatoes

  • 2 hrs +
  • Katrina Meynink
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Christmas centrepiece: Whole-roasted spice-rubbed cauliflower sitting on romesco.

Slow-roasted spiced cauliflower with romesco

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Katrina Meynink
Adam Liaw’s vegetarian lasagne.

Adam Liaw’s vegetarian lasagne

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Adam Liaw
Tomato and spiced feta tart.

Keep-things-spicy tomato and feta slab tart

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Katrina Meynink
Neil Perry’s whole roasted cauliflower with lemon and mustard. GW150718
EASY

Whole roasted cauliflower with lemon and mustard

  • 1-2 hrs
This zucchini tart is easy and cheesy.
EASY

Five-ingredient zucchini and cheese tart with honey and pistachio

  • < 30 mins
  • Jessica Brook
Use your favourite curry powder to flavour this roasted cauliflower.
EASY

Karen Martini’s yoghurt-crusted roast cauliflower

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Karen Martini
Karen Martini’s pumpkin, herb and feta filo pie.

Pumpkin, golden raisin, zaatar, herb and feta filo pie

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Karen Martini
This dish, like a cross between succotash and shakshuka, is equally good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Shakshuka-ish corn and chilli

  • Scott Gooding and Matilda Brown
Tomato tarte tatin served with goat's curd and salad leaves.

Karen Martini’s tomato tarte tatin with manchego, thyme and dried olives

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Karen Martini
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Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s mushroom, comte and mascarpone galette.

Mushroom, comte and mascarpone galette

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Julia Busuttil Nishimura