This veggie wellington makes a showstopping vegetarian or vegan main dish for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! Puff pastry is filled with duxelle mushrooms, caramelized onions, spinach, squash, and a delicious mixture of plant based proteins.
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.
Video
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)