Enjoy a very special vegetarian Thanksgiving with this showstopping main dish - Veggie Wellington! No more sides-only holidays, this vegetarian main dish is easily made vegan and is loaded with veggies, protein, and all your favorite holiday flavors.
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The main complaint I hear from vegetarians and vegans on Thanksgiving is that its hard to find a suitable main dish that won't just leave you feeling like you ate a bunch of sides for dinner. Veggie Wellington not only solves that problem, but is one of the most flavorful dishes every to come out of my kitchen. My veg-shy kids even liked it!
There is a LOT going on in this recipe, but it's the holidays so I think we can handle it! I break it all down in the recipe so you know which order to make everything, and how you can prep some of it ahead of time. I've also created an easy to read printable to help make things easier, so be sure to grab that below!
What is in a vegetarian wellington?
My Vegetarian Wellington is based on a Beef Wellington, but has a lot more to it to build flavors and texture. The main components are puff pastry, a variation of duxelles (mushrooms with shallots and herbs), caramelized onions, and a hearty center that is a mixture of white beans, nuts, seeds, and butternut squash.
Ingredients
It's Thanksgiving time, so we're going all out, and this recipe used too many ingredients for me to get a good photo of them all together. Here's what we're using:
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Red wine
- Butternut squash
- Onions
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Spinach
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Brown sugar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Lemon
- Nutmeg
- Thyme
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Salt & pepper
- Butter beans
- Walnuts
- Sunflower seeds
- Bread crumbs
- Vegetable stock
- Puff pastry
- Egg
How to make Veggie Wellington
This recipe can be broken down into 6 easy steps.
Roast the squash - Peel and cube the butternut squash, then toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast at 425ºF for 20-30 minutes or until soft.
Caramelize the vegetables - Cook the onion and carrot in butter with salt, pepper, and brown sugar in a large skillet over medium heat for 15 minutes or until soft and caramelized. Add balsamic vinegar and allow it to cook off, then add sage and rosemary.
Make the duxelles - Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add chopped mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook 8-10 minutes or until the mushrooms have released their liquid and most of it has cooked off. Add red wine, salt, and pepper and cook another 3 minutes.
Prepare the spinach - Defrost a box of frozen spinach. Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and cook until warmed.
Make the protein filling - In a small skillet, toast walnuts and sunflower seeds over medium low heat until fragrant. Allow to cool slightly. In a food processor, combine butter beans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, breadcrumbs, and vegetable stock until combined but still chunky.
The mixture should pinch together between your fingers, if it doesn't, add a little more vegetable stock. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the cooked squash.
Build the veggie wellington - Defrost two sheets of puff pastry. Roll the first sheet out on a lightly floured surface, then transfer it to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Lay the spinach mixture out first, leaving 1-2 inches around the outside edge. Next add the mushrooms in an even layer, followed by the bean mixture.
Form the bean mixture into a firm layer using your hands to press it down. Top with the onions, followed by the second layer of rolled out puff pastry, trimming the edges if necessary. Crimp the edges to seal, decorate with pastry scraps if desired, then brush with egg wash.
Bake 40 minutes at 425ºF, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and the inside is hot. If it browns too quickly you can cover it with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Top tips and questions
How to remove excess liquid from frozen spinach
I recommend using frozen spinach in this recipe to make it easier to work with. I always defrost mine by removing the packaging, placing it on a rimmed plate, and microwaving for 5-6 minutes.
Transfer the spinach to the middle of a clean kitchen towel you wouldn't mind staining, then roll it up horizontally. Hold the towel over the sink and twist both ends in opposite directions, making it tighter and tighter as you go. This should wring most of the liquid out of the spinach.
Time saving tip
You can save time on either cooking or cleanup by either using the same pan to cook different parts of the filling (just give them a quick wipe out, no need for a full clean) or cooking several components at the same time in separate pans.
I found it easiest to do the caramelized vegetables and mushrooms in separate pans at the same time, then prepare the spinach and protein filling at the same time, but you could also use the same pan for vegetables, mushrooms, and spinach as long as you're cooking them separately.
How to transfer your Vegetable Wellington to a baking sheet
This recipe makes a very large loaf that is difficult to move once stuffed. I recommend rolling out your bottom portion of pastry, then transferring it to your baking sheet before adding the filling. This way you can build it all on the sheet and not need to move it.
How to store leftovers
This tastes best when enjoyed right away, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in the oven or microwave, but keep in mind the pastry will not reheat as well as when it was originally cooked.
You could also freeze leftovers, cut into individual portions, but again keep in mind that it won't reheat as well as the original.
Tips for customizing veggie wellington
- Cook ½ cup wild rice in 2 cups water for 45 minutes, drain, and add to your protein layer
- Make individual Wellingtons
- Mix and match your filling to suit your tastes; for example, if you don't like mushrooms, leave that portion out
- Make it vegan by using vegan butter in the onions (most puff pastry is actually vegan, just check your box)
- Make it cheesy by adding ½ cup of shredded cheese to the bean mixture (I'd recommend cheddar, asiago, or blue cheese)
- Drizzle servings with a bit of hot honey
- For a gluten-free version you could try using gluten-free breadcrumbs and the gluten-free pastry in this recipe
FAQ
Yes, you can prep portions of this recipe ahead of time. I recommend prepping each individual part of the filling rather than cooking it ahead of time because the puff pastry is really at its best right out of the oven.
If you have all the filling prepared, you'll only need to wait about 45 minutes for the puff pastry to thaw, then spend about 30 minutes rolling and filling it. You could pull your prepared filling portions out of the refrigerator at the same time as your puff pastry to let them come to room temperature and avoid needing to cook it longer.
I chose to use a top and bottom sheet of puff pastry in this recipe. You'll need to connect the two pieces to prevent the filling from falling out.
You can see a little bit of how I do this in the recipe video, but basically put the two sheets together, then fold the bottom up over the top by about an inch. Use your fingers to crimp them together.
You could also keep them flat and use a fork to create crimps and seal the edges, or make multiple smaller loaves, just using one sheet and folding it around the filling completely.
More vegetarian thanksgiving recipes
- Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cranberries
- Mashed Potato Bake
- Mashed Potatoes without Milk
- Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
- Cheesy Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Simple Vegetarian Stuffing
- Vegetarian Cornbread Stuffing
- Thanksgiving Baked Tempeh
- Creamy Mushroom Tempeh
- Vegetarian Lentil Meatloaf Muffins
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Oven Roasted Carrots with Thyme
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Apple Cider Cocktail
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Veggie Wellington
Ingredients
Roasted butternut squash
- 3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash, about 1 large butternut squash
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Caramelized onions and carrots
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
- ½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
Duxelles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¼ cup red wine
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Spinach
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 10 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed to remove excess liquid
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Protein
- ¾ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup roasted salted sunflower seeds
- 15 ounces canned butter beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
Veggie wellington
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg
- Water
Instructions
Roasted butternut squash
- Heat the oven to 425ºF.
- Place squash on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake 20-30 minutes or until soft.
Caramelized onions and carrots
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once hot, add the onion, carrots, ½ teaspoon brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned.
- Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring, until cooked off.
- Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage and ½ tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary.
Duxelles
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and most of it has cooked off, 8-10 minutes.
- Add ¼ cup red wine and season to tase with salt and pepper. Allow to cook another 3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the wine has cooked off.
Spinach
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant and lightly golden in color.
- Add the spinach, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until warmed through.
Protein
- Heat walnuts and sunflower seeds in a small skillet over medium low heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine toasted walnuts and sunflower seeds with butter beans, ½ cup breadcrumbs, and ¼ cup vegetable stock. Process until everything is combined but there's still some definition to the ingredients. The mixture should pinch together between your fingers and hold its shape a bit. If it doesn't, add a little more vegetable stock and process again.
- Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and fold in the roasted butternut squash.
Veggie wellington
- Roll one sheet of puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it's at least 13 x 8 inches. Transfer this sheet to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Add the spinach mixture to the puff pastry, spreading out in an even layer and leaving about 1-2 inches around the edges.
- Next add the mushrooms in an even layer over the spinach.
- Using your hands, form the protein mixture into a thick log in an even layer over the mushrooms, pressing it together so it holds its shape.
- Top with the onion mixture, pressing it into the protein portion if needed.
- Roll out the second piece of puff pastry to be a little larger than the first and lay it over the top, matching up the edges if possible.
- Trim the edges so you have about 1 inch around the filling, reserving the scraps if you want to make decorations for the top.
- Crimp the edges by holding both layers together and folding up from the bottom, Use your fingers to form a crimp.
- If desired, create decorations from the scraps using a knife or pie decorating tools, placing them wherever you'd like.
- In a small bowl, crack the egg and add a splash of cool water, whisking until combined.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over all of the exposed pastry.
- Bake 40 minutes at 425ºF or until the pastry is golden brown and the middle is hot. If it browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Tips for customizing Veggie Wellington
- Cook ½ cup wild rice in 2 cups water for 45 minutes, drain, and add to your protein layer
- Make individual wellingtons
- Mix and match your filling to suit your tastes. For example, if you don't like mushrooms, leave that portion out.
- Make it vegan by using vegan butter in the onions (most puff pastry is actually vegan, just check your box)
- Make it cheesy by adding ½ cup of shredded cheese to the bean mixture (I'd recommend cheddar, asiago, or blue cheese)
- Drizzle servings with a bit of hot honey
- For a gluten-free version you could try using gluten-free breadcrumbs and the gluten-free pastry in this recipe
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