This vegetable wellington makes for a perfect vegetarian or vegan centrepiece. Roasted butternut, mushrooms and chestnuts are lovingly encased in a buttery puff pastry. Seasoned with soy sauce, herbs and balsamic vinegar, making this vegan main anything but bland.
This vegan pie is perfect for occasions when you have lots of hungry mouths to feed but find yourself running short on time. Ready in only an hour and 30 minutes, this is an impressive vegan pie that is full of flavour and substance.
The ingredients
I promise you that this vegan wellington can compete with any meat alternative. Stuffed with roasted squash and seasoned with plenty of herbs and a dash of chilli; this plant based pie is worthy of being centre stage on any dinner table – vegan or not.
Sauté the red onion for a good 10 minutes until softened and just starting to caramelise. Then stir in the soy sauce and chestnut mushrooms for a boost of umami flavour. I had to add in roasted chestnuts simply because they’re a necessity in any Christmas pie. Although the chestnuts do also add a pleasant texture in contrast to the squash and mushrooms.
To sweeten the pie, add a glug of balsamic vinegar and plenty of dried cranberries to achieve an almost red wine flavour that perfectly compliments the more savoury elements of the wellington.
The method
With a pie so impressive, one would think you would need to slave away for hours in the kitchen. But we all know that special occasions, particularly Christmas, are scant on time. I’m not being flippant when I say that ready made pastry is one of the best creations of the 20th century. Leave the pastry to chill in the fridge and only remove when ready to roll. The pastry quickly warms and can become difficult to work with the longer it is out of the fridge. The vegan wellington only takes 30 minutes in the oven to achieve that highly sought after flaky golden pastry. I like to decorate mine with cut offs from the pastry and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds for an attractive finish.
Leave a comment and let me know how you get on making this vegan wellington. I’d love to see your creations over on instagram!
More vegan mains
Vegan shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash
Butternut squash and jackfruit pasta bake
Vegan wellington
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 butternut squash chopped into small cubes
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves removed
- 3 sprigs rosemary leaves removed and finely chopped
- 1 red onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms sliced
- 3 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
- 150 g roasted whole chestnuts roughly chopped
- 85 g dried cranberries
- 500 g puff pastry
- 1 tbsp oat milk
- 1/2 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds to decorate
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas 6.
- Place the butternut squash, thyme and rosemary on a baking tray. Drizzle over 2 tbsp of olive oil, season generally with salt and pepper and stir through to ensure the ingredients are well combined. Place in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.
- In a large saucepan add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of margarine. Warm over a low heat and add the red onion. Sauté for 10 minutes until softened and starting to caramelise.
- Add the garlic and fry until lightly browned and fragrant, approximately 1 minute. Next add the mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and chilli flakes and cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped chestnuts, dried cranberries and roasted butternut squash. Taste and season generously with salt.
- Increase the oven temperature to 220°C / 200°C fan / gas 7.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge. Cut the block in half and roll out both blocks to form a rectangle shape approximately the thickness of a pound coin. Place the pastry sheet on a baking tray.
- Spoon the butternut filling onto the sheet, leaving a 1 inch border around the filling. Brush some of the oat milk over the exposed edge and then carefully place the second pastry sheet on top.
- Crimp the edges together and trim off any excess. Score several slashes on the lid of the pie. Decorate the top with the excess pastry and finish by brushing the pie lid with oat milk and a sprinkling of the seeds.
- Place the pie in the oven and roast for 30 minutes and the pastry is crisp and golden brown