Happy holidays, my chickpeas! Today's recipe is a vegan main that is worthy of a place at your Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Let's talk about my Veggie Lentil Wellington!
This recipe is essentially a vegetable lentil loaf, wrapped in beautiful puff pastry, and baked. It may not be the most traditional holiday meal, but it will be absolutely beautiful on your plant based table! Let's get into it!
Inspiration for Veggie Lentil Wellington
I've always been okay with simple holiday food - plop some tomato soup in front of me and I'm happy! However, I've challenged myself the last couple years to make my Thanksgiving and Christmas meals a little bit more special. Instead I've focused on recipes that feel a bit fancier than typical weeknight meals, but still aren't overwhelming to make. And that's the vibe I was going for with this recipe!
Lets talk briefly about the beef Wellington that *very loosely* inspired this recipe. Beef Wellington recipes vary, but typically they include a beef tenderloin that is covered in a mushroom duxelle mixture, wrapped in puff pastry, and baked. According to my research, the origin of the beef Wellington seems to be a bit unknown - but many believe it was created in celebration of Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, in the 1800s.
My recipe today is obviously not going to be a traditional beef Wellington! However, the presentation and the wrapping of the puff pastry is inspired by it. We are essentially going to be making a lentil loaf, wrapping it in puff pastry, and baking it! The lentils provide some protein, and the mushrooms are a nod to the mushroom duxelle in a traditional beef Wellington!
Ingredients
This one is meant to be a little fancier than most of my recipes, so there are more ingredients involved. But I promise you can do it! Here are some of the ingredients we are working with today.
- Flaxseed: we will be mixing this with water as an egg replacement. It will help bind our loaf mixture together!
- Onion, garlic, carrot, and mushroom: we obviously need some veggies for a Veggie Lentil Loaf! These ones pair well together and bring a lot of flavor.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste: these will intensify our umami and savory flavors.
- Green lentils: these will serve as the main base of our loaf, and provide some great plant based protein!
- Bread crumbs and flour: these will be the main dry ingredients in our loaf. The dry and wet ingredients together will create the texture and consistency we are looking for!
- Dried herbs and seasonings: it's not a holiday-inspired dish without some herbs and seasonings!
- Water chestnuts: I love the little crunch and texture that these provide!
- Puff pastry: realizing that many store-bought puff pastries are vegan is one of my favorite discoveries I have ever made. The puff pastry really shines in this recipe - it becomes perfectly golden and flaky!
- Almond milk and maple syrup: we mix these together and use them as a substitute for an egg wash! It helps our pastry become that beautiful golden brown color, and provides a tiny bit of sweetness.
How to Make a Veggie Lentil Wellington
Keep scrolling for the full recipe, but here's the basics!
- Make a flax egg.
- Sauté up some veggies.
- Mash some lentils.
- Create a lentil loaf by mixing together your flax egg, veggies, lentils, and a bunch of other delicious ingredients.
- Wrap your loaf in puff pastry to create a Wellington.
- Brush your Wellington in an almond milk wash.
- Bake.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
I tested this recipe A LOT. The lentil mixture has to be just right to cook correctly, so I wouldn't suggest messing with the ingredients much. But you can of course make a few minor tweaks if you choose! Here are some ideas:
- Not a fan of these veggies? Switch them out for veggies of your choice, but keep the same overall volume of veggies for cooking purposes. I think celery could be a great addition!
- Would rather skip the puff pastry and make a simplified lentil loaf? I personally LOVE the puff pastry, but I recognize that it contains added oil that some people would rather avoid. I haven't tested this myself, so experiment at your own risk, but I believe you could make just the lentil loaf and bake it on its own without the puff pastry! Just keep an eye on it while it bakes as your cooking time may differ.
- The Wellington itself is delicious, but is intended to be served with a sauce or gravy. I HIGHLY recommend pairing it with my Vegan Mushroom Gravy!
- Looking for other additions for your holiday table? Try my Baked Butternut Mac & Cheese or my Pomegranate Wild Rice Salad next!
Happy holidays!
📖 Recipe
Veggie Lentil Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2.5 tablespoon water
- ½ small yellow onion - finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ medium carrot - finely diced
- ½ portobello mushroom - finely diced
- 1.5 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce*
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1.5 cups cooked green lentils - (for the most flavor, cook according to package directions but use vegetable broth instead of water!)
- ½ cup plain panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour - OR all purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon dried thyme
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon nutritional yeast
- salt - to taste
- ¼ cup water chestnuts - finely diced
- 1 sheet puff pastry* - (thawed according to package directions)
- ½ tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
- ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
- Optional: 1 recipe Joyful Balance Vegan Mushroom Gravy - (or another gravy or sauce of your choice!)
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat your oven to 350.
- Make your flax egg: In a small bowl, add your ground flaxseed and 2.5 tablespoon water. Mix to combine and set to the side. This will thicken as it sits and will later be our "egg" substitute.
- Sauté your veggies: Bring a medium nonstick pan to med-high heat on the stovetop. Add just a bit of water to prevent sticking, and add your onion. Allow to sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding small amounts of water as needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, carrots, and mushrooms to the pan. Cook for 4 minutes. Continue to stir occasionally and add small amounts of water as needed to prevent sticking. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the vegan Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Stir to coat all the veggies evenly, and allow to cook 1-2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside to cool.
- Mash your lentils: Using a potato masher (or another utensil of choice), mash your cooked lentils. You want these to still have some texture to them, so they don't have to be perfectly smooth.
- Make your loaf mixture: In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flour, thyme, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and salt. Mix so that everything is evenly incorporated. To your breadcrumb mixture, add your sautéd veggies, mashed lentils, flax "egg", and water chestnuts. Mix to combine everything.
- Wrap your loaf in puff pastry: Lay out your puff pastry on a cutting board. If your puff pastry is rectangular, position it so that it is taller than it is wide. Using your hands (this might get a little messy!), form your lentil mixture into one large log-shaped loaf. Place your loaf, taller than it is wide, in the center of your puff pastry, making sure there's about an inch of puff pastry above and below the loaf. Using a knife (or a pizza cutter), cut 7-10 straight horizontal lines on both the right and left sides of the pastry. The cuts should start at the outside edge of the puff pastry and end at the outside edge of the veggie loaf. This will create multiple strips on either side of the loaf so that it kind of looks like spider legs coming out of the loaf. Take the top edge of the puff pastry and fold it up onto the end of the loaf, then wrap the ends of this piece around the upper perimeter. Repeat this step on the bottom.Now, starting at the top, take the next strip from the top right and fold it over the loaf towards the left. Take the left strip and fold it over towards the right, so that it slightly covers the end of the previous strip. Continue this all the way down, alternating between the right and left, until you have run out of pastry. Depending on the size of your strips, your design may look slightly different than my version (as long as it's covered in puff pastry, it'll be delicious!). Transfer your Wellington to a prepared baking sheet (with either a silicone baking mat or parchment paper)
- Brush on your almond milk wash: Combine your almond milk and maple syrup in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush this onto your puff pastry. You want as much of the pastry to be coated as possible!
- Bake your Wellington: Place your baking sheet into the preheated oven and allow your Wellington to bake for 45 minutes. (If the puff pastry isn't quite golden brown after 45 minutes, you can allow it to bake for 5 minutes more).
- Enjoy: Remove from the oven, allow to cool a few minutes, and enjoy! Best served with a few spoonfuls of Joyful Balance Vegan Mushroom Gravy on top!
Notes
Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your Wellington-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
Jeff says
Perfect idea for serving to a mix of vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
Delaney Marie says
Agreed! A crowd-pleaser all around!
Sharon says
Brilliant recipe!!! What a great idea to make a lentil wellington, looks great, can't wait to try your recipe.
Delaney Marie says
Thank you! I hope you love it!
nancy says
OH lovely vegan wellington! The lentils was a great filling and so nutritious toO!
Delaney Marie says
So glad you loved it!
Eric says
What a great recipe and story behind it. I’m trying to find a better variety of meals that are meatless and this one looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
Delaney Marie says
Thank you! Hope you try it soon!
Liga says
Loved the detailed instructions that helped me make the most delicious wellington!
Delaney Marie says
So glad you enjoyed!
nancy says
Loved the added lentils to this recipe. It was really filling and great for my veggie friends
Delaney Marie says
So glad you and your friends enjoyed it!
Seema says
I love this veggie lentil wellington recipe. I will make it for thanksgiving.
Delaney Marie says
Thanks so much! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!!
Crystal Yentzen says
I'm always looking for interesting vegan holiday recipes, and this veggie Wellington is perfect! Thanks!
Delaney Marie says
You're welcome! Enjoy!