With winter just around the corner and budgets tighter than ever, we thought we’d share our recipes for a budget-friendly, 3-course roast dinner – perfect for schools and taste-tested by kids. Nutritious, cheap and packed full of flavour, these recipes make for plant-powered festive dinner that everyone can enjoy.

Starter – Golden Lentil & Tomato Soup (ve)

Ingredients

• 165g onions
• 250g carrots
• 225g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 250g red lentils 
• 2g turmeric powder
• 4g cumin powder
• 1.4 litres vegetable stock

Method

1. In a food processor chop the onion and carrot until fine.
2. Place all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils and carrots are soft.
3. Roughly blitz with a stick blender.

Main – Toad-in-the-hole (ve)

Ingredients

• 230g plain flour
• 20g chickpea flour
• 2.5 teaspoon baking powder
• 400ml plant-based milk alternative
• 250ml veg stock
• 10 plant-based sausages

Method

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the milk to the veg stock and slowly whisk into the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter.
3. Pour the oil into a non-stick tray (about 37cm x 27cm) and put in a 240°C oven for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and add the sausages, evenly spaced.
5. Pour the batter into the tray in between the sausages, ensuring it is evenly spread across the tray.
6. Put back in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 200°C and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Side – Oven-roasted veggies (ve)

Ingredients

• 450g broccoli florets
• 300g leek, cut into 1.5cm slices
• 300g carrot, cut into 1.5cm slices
• 250g red onion, sliced
• 1.5 tsp dried oregano
• 1.5 tbsp oil

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Roast in a 220°C oven for 30 minutes – or until browned and cooked through.
3. Mix the veg, turning after 15 minutes of cooking.

Side – Carrot mash (ve)

Ingredients

• 1,200g potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 500g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 100ml plant-based milk alternative

Method

1. Add the chopped potatoes and carrots to a large pan of lightly salted water.
2. Bring to the boil then simmer until soft.
3. Drain and mash.

Side – Red onion gravy (ve)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp (30g) olive oil 
• 3 red onions (around 300g)
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar 
• 2 cloves of garlic 
• 5 tbsp white flour
• 2 tbsp (30g) dark soy sauce or tamari
• ½ tsp dijon mustard 
• 1 litre of vegetable stock

Method

1. Finely slice your onions into half moons. 
2. Then heat a medium to large saucepan with the olive oil.
3. Add the onions and salt and cook them until dark and caramelised. It takes around 20 minutes to get the onions soft, sweet and rich in flavour. 
4. Add the garlic, and sugar and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the soya sauce and mustard, then once the pan is dry again you can gradually add the stock until you have incorporated it all into the gravy – to simmer for 10-20 minutes.

Dessert – Fruity fool with toasted coconut (ve)

Ingredients

• 2 large ripe bananas
• 350g berries (can be tinned/fresh or frozen and thawed) plus 50g for topping 
• 600g plant-yoghurt
• 25g toasted coconut flakes

Method

1. Blitz the banana and strawberries to a loose paste, in a food processor *mash with a stick blender or fork.
2. Stir in the yoghurt.
3. Top with fresh fruit and toasted coconut flakes.

The perfect plant-based roast dinner

This entire roast-dinner is as delicious as it is nutritious, with 15g of protein, 11g of fibre, 1.4g of zinc and 2.7g of iron in the main dish alone! These colourful recipes are sure to grab children’s attention and taste buds with their tantalising flavours. And, this entire 3-course-meal costs just £1.26 per portion. Budget-friendly, kid-friendly, and planet-friendly – what more could you ask for?

If you’d like to see more plant-based recipes designed especially for children, download our free cookbook, The Recipes, on our website.