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Vegan Seitan Wellington

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Vegan Wellington

As we are slowly approaching the Holiday season I’m starting to think about festive dishes to serve on the Christmas table.

This vegan Wellington will definitely be the centerpiece! It consists of a super tender and meaty seitan roast coated in a mushroom duxelles and wrapped in a flaky puff pastry. Ready?

Vegan Wellington

It starts with the duxelles, which is a mix of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme. It is sautéed in a skillet until it forms a paste that will coat the roast.

The mushroom duxelles adds a ton of flavor and really is the key to a good Wellington. Once your duxelles is ready, set aside and prepare the roast.

Vegan Wellington

You guys loved my Teriyaki meatballs for their soft and meaty texture so I slightly tweaked it to make it into a large roast.

The base remains the same, we use a mix of brown rice, red kidney beans, and mushrooms that bring moisture and umami. Then for flavor, we have sautéed onions, garlic, and spices. What I did differently here is that I added some cinnamon and nutmeg for a more Christmassy flavor and a whole cooked beet that gives the roast a distinct red color. The addition of a beet also adds a natural sweetness to the roast.

Vegan Wellington

To make the roast, you combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you get a paste. Don’t process too long though, you want to keep some texture. Once this is done, transfer to a large mixing bowl. At this step, you can be creative and tweak the recipe a bit by adding a handful of raisins, cranberries, pecans, or walnuts for more flavor and some crunchiness.

Then for a meaty texture, I combined the mixture with vital wheat gluten. Unlike most seitan roasts, this one is moist and tender. Gone are the dry and too chewy roasts! If you are gluten-free, I guess you could substitute the gluten for gluten-free breadcrumbs. Be aware the texture won’t be as meaty though.

Vegan Wellington

The next step is shaping the Wellington. Start by spreading the mushroom duxelles in the center of a vegan puff pastry. Then place the seitan roast on it and generously brush it with mustard. Mustard adds another layer of flavor that goes very well with the mushrooms.

To shape it into a nice log, I recommend using plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to wrap the seitan roast in the puff pastry, then pinch the ends of the pastry to seal it.

Vegan Wellington

For the decoration, you can go with a classic lattice pattern or nothing at all. Personally, I added a vegan logo on the crust, at least I tried.

Vegan Wellington

45 minutes in the oven and you end up with this beautiful golden brown Wellington!

Vegan Wellington

This Wellington roast is perfect for the holidays, it’s festive, flavorful and is even more delicious served with gravy, asparagus and mashed potatoes on the side. It’s the ultimate holiday dish!

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

Vegan Wellington

Vegan Seitan Wellington
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Vegan Wellington

Vegan Wellington

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Full of Plants
  • Yield: 8
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Ingredients

Mushroom Duxelles

  • 6 cups (around 400g) mushrooms (white button or cremini)
  • 2 shallots
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) oil

Seitan Roast

  • 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 2 cups (140g) sliced mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup (170g) cooked red kidney beans
  • 1 (about 130g) cooked beet (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup (50g) almond flour
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp each: smoked paprika, chili, cumin
  • 1/8 tsp each: cinnamon, nutmeg
  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 3 tbsp (45ml) yellow mustard
  • 1 roll (8 ounces / 230g) vegan puff pastry

“Egg” Wash

  • 3 tbsp (45ml) almond milk
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Start by preparing the mushroom paste (also called duxelles). Place the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mushrooms are very finely chopped.
  2. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the mushroom mixture and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until mushrooms have released their moisture and there is no liquid left. Stir regularly to prevent burning. Once the mixture appears almost dry, remove from heat, transfer to a bowl or plate and set aside. Don’t wash the skillet now as we will use it to sautée the onion and garlic for the roast.
  3. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  4. To prepare the seitan roast: heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion, garlic, and grated ginger. Cook for about 3 minutes or until onions become translucent.
  5. Next, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Once the mushrooms are cooked, deglaze the pan with the soy sauce and maple syrup. Cook for 1 minute and then transfer to a food processor.
  6. To the food processor, add the cooked brown rice, red kidney beans, beet, almond flour, oregano, and spices. Process for 7-10 seconds, or until the mixture forms a slightly chunky paste.
  7. Transfer the paste to a large mixing bowl. Add the vital wheat gluten and mix until fully incorporated. Don’t overmix as it would make the roast too chewy. Shape it into a large log.
  8. To assemble the vegan Wellington: lay out the sheet of puff pastry on a layer of plastic wrap (this will be helpful to roll it). Spread the mushroom mixture in the center of the puff pastry, leaving about 2 inches on each side. Place the seitan log on top of the mushroom paste. Brush the log with a generous amount of yellow mustard. Using the plastic wrap, carefully roll the puff pastry tightly around the seitan roast. Seal both ends by pinching the puff pastry. Make sure everything is tight. Place the Wellington on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and remove the plastic wrap.
  9. At this step you can decorate it with more puff pastry, this is optional. You can also use a knife to draw shapes or lines on top.
  10. In a small bowl, combine the almond milk and maple syrup to make a vegan “egg” wash. Brush the top and sides of the Wellington with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
  11. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool 5-10 minutes before cutting into thick slices.
  12. Serve with your favorite gravy or peppercorn sauce and roasted potatoes and/or greens on the side!

Notes

* You can use store-bought cooked beets or roast a beet yourself. To do it, wash the beet and wrap it in aluminum foil. Bake in a 400°F preheated oven for 1 to 1,5 hour, or until the beet is soft.

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Comments

  1. Wow, that looks amazing! SOOO need to try this recipe. Very inspiring. And looks like a great “roast” alternative for Christmas.

    Reply

  2. Hi Thomas

    what a great idea for Christmas! It’s exactly what I was looking for, something really special. Thank you again Thomas!

    I eagerly look for your next recipe. Can’t wait to try the teriyaki meatballs, good for kids!

    thank you

    Susana (from Canada)

    Reply

  3. Hi Thomas. This looks amazing. Is the beet just for colour or does the taste come through? I want to make this for a special occasion but I know a few guests really do not like beet 🙁 Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Christine, thanks! The beet is for color and flavor, it adds some sweetness and moisture to the loaf. I think it should still taste great if you leave it out.

      Reply

      • Hi Thomas,
        I made this and included the beet. Came out beautifully and really is a great recipe, especially for a special occasion. I notice when having the left overs for lunch a couple of days later the seitan tasted even more yummy so this would be a great dish to get a head start if serving for a special dinner. Thanks for another superb recipe.

        ★★★★★

        Reply

  4. Hi, Thomas! Just finished making it and put it straight into the freezer, without baking it first. Hope it wasn’t a mistake. At least it worked for other foods. All I can say for now that the flavors were amazing! It was a bit tricky to wrap it, but I’ve managed somehow. Would you advise to thaw it first before baking or just put straight into the oven?

    Reply

    • Hi Laana,
      Wrapping a large loaf is never an easy task 🙂
      I have never frozen unbaked puff pastry so I can’t really help you on this. I hope it won’t soak up too much water. I would probably thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before baking.

      Reply

  5. Hi Thomas, looks really nice, will definitely give this a try. Was thinking though, do you think you’d be able to replace the kidney beans (or maybe the rice instead?) with roasted chestnuts. I thought it might give it a more Christmassy flavour??

    Reply

  7. Hi Thomas,

    This recipe looks and sounds amazing! I will make this for Christmas. I’m afraid to overmix the gluten though, so I’m wondering: when do you know the paste has the right consistency?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Ries,
      Thanks! You know it when the gluten flour is just combined and fully incorporated into the batter. When you don’t see any more white flour in the batter it’s done.

      Reply

      • Thanks for your fast reply and lovely recipes! My family and I really enjoy cooking and eating them. You deserve an award and a cookbook, at least!

        I’ve been trying to master the art of the vegan cheese fondue for some timw now but so far no luck in that area. Might that be a nice challenge for you, maybe?

        Thank you!

        Reply

          • Great news indeed! I can’t wait. When will you publish your e-book?

            So I made this recipe for Christmas and it was so good! Vegans, vegetarians, meat-eaters, they all loved it. What a marvellous idea to use the gluten. It gave the ‘meat’ a really good texture. Finally a good and tasty binder for meat-substitutes based on beans i.a. Your creativity is very inspiring. Thanks Thomas!

            ★★★★★

  8. I made the Wellington for Christmas. I made this dish several times before and we’re getting addicted to it! This was a very good choice for Christmas day, with a nice salad. Great! One of your best recipes Thomas. I do like working with gluten.

    ★★★★★

    Reply