Vegetarian Haggis

Peppery, versatile, and often misjudged – haggis is the quintessential Scottish dish that can be enjoyed even on a vegan diet. Typically eaten with turnips and mashed potatoes (neeps and tatties), it can shine as the star of the dish or add an extra level to something already delicious. Haggis is so good that it is a crime that it isn’t on menus worldwide..

Vegetarian Haggis

A vegetarian option for those who want to try haggis.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Scottish

Calories: 444

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 tbsp ghee* (or butter)
• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot
• 400g cooked puy lentils*
• 1 400g tin of chickpeas
• 230g pinhead oats*
• 1/2 tbsp marmite
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 500ml veg stock

Spices

• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander

Method

 

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and carrot.
2. Heat ghee in a large pot and add the onion. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat stirring to prevent it from burning. Add the carrot and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the spices and stir through on a low heat for 30 seconds.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C.
5. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Blend them with a little water to a thick paste.
6. Add the oats, marmite, soy sauce and veg stock to the pot. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat stirring regularly and adding a little water if it gets too dry. Cook until the oats are firm but no longer crunchy.
7. Stir in the chickpeas and add a little water if it is too thick. We are aiming for the texture of porridge.
8. Stir the lentils through transfer the mixture into a casserole dish. Bake for 15 minutes.

Notes

• This recipe can easily be adapted to become vegan. Just substitute the ghee or butter with an equivalent.

 

• If you do not have puy lentils then green or brown lentils can be used. Ideally a cooked lentil that can hold its shape.

 

• You really need pin head oats to create the right texture – otherwise the mixture becomes too much like gluey porridge.

Vegetarian haggis freezes well and can be easily be reheated in the microwave or the oven once fully defrosted.

Haggis is not photogenic so I had some trouble with the main image. I flattened it into a burger shape and fried it on both sides. Although purely for presentation, it is a good way to serve a slice especially as part of a full Scottish breakfast!

Try it on a pizza, under some pastry, inside a cheese toastie, or even for breakfast with scrambled egg and a dash of sriracha hot sauce. There are no bounds to what savoury meal is made better by haggis. Let me know how you use it down in the comments!