This Vegan Lentil Wellington is truly something amazing! Wrapped in a nice herb-infused, flaky crust, and stuffed with a meaty filling, this Holiday main dish is one for the crowd.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, the meat dishes are the highlight of it all. Whether you chose to make Turkey, Ham, Roast, Meat Loaf, or any other meat; having a great ‘meat-like’ dish is EVERYTHING!
That’s why I’m excited to share this recipe to all of you who want to have a delicious meatless option for the Holidays!
This Wellington is absolutely a must this season and the bold flavors will make you walk away wanting another bite.
What is a Wellington Anyway?
Originally, beef wellingtons are fillet steaks that are coated with pâté (a paste-like meat that contains liver) and then wrapped in parma ham, puff pastry, and baked.
Sounds complicated, right?
In all honesty, it’s a star dish around the Holidays and have been made by many.
Did I Use Puff Pastry?
Nope. While most puff pastries ARE Vegan, I chose to make my own pastry crust because I love to add flavor and have more control over that sort of thing.
However, you can always go down the route of using puff pastry and I’ll include that in my recipe notes.
Tips for Achieving a Well in Tact Wellington When Making Your Own Crust.
After making this recipe a few different times, I’ve gathered a few tips to ensuring that your Wellington doesn’t fall privy to being messy or falling a part.
WHEN ROLLING OUR YOUR DOUGH, KEEP IT’S THICKNESS! Unfortunately, I had an instance where I made my dough too thin and once cooked, everything fell apart ridiculously once cut. Keeping a slightly thicker dough makes for a more perfect shape/form.
DON’T OVER STUFF! Again, because I eye-ball a lot of my fillings, I sometimes tend to over stuff things. Bad habit. I guess I just like having enough in each bite. Haha. But, I’ve learned that overstuffing doesn’t work with this recipe. In fact, I find that forming the filling into an elongated shape and placing that in the middle of the dough works best.
LET IT COOL! Once you’ve cooked your your filling, be sure to let it cool completely before even rolling out your dough. That way, you can form a nice shape with the filling and avoid your crust from melting before it even bakes.
FREEZE THE DOUGH! While I often refrigerate my dough once it’s made, with this recipe, I recommend further freezing it for 10-15 minutes after it’s initial hour, to ensure that it holds up well before it’s stuffed and wrapped.
CUT, CUT, CUT—BEFORE YOU BAKE! I made the mistake during one of my remakes, to cut the Wellington after it baked and it wasn’t as in tact as I wanted. Therefore, I recommend using a very sharp knife or pastry cutter to slice it before putting it in the oven. Just be gentle and careful so that the filling doesn’t pop out.
Personally, I could eat this by itself. It’s just that good and it’s much like a hand-held patty or savory hand pie.
However, like the original Wellington, you can always choose to pair it with a salad, veggies like green peas, etc. or mashed potatoes—whatever you desire.
Looking For Other Great Lentil Recipes?
These Spicy Jamaican Lentil + Quinoa Vegan Patties are truly something amazing! Wrapped in a nice parsley-infused, flaky crust, and stuffed entirely with curried lentil, quinoa, veggies, and nutritional yeast, these patties will leave you forgetting that it’s totally meat-less and convinced that vegan patties are the new ‘foodie’ favorite!
This Spicy Vegan Lentil + Veggie Soup has been long overdue! I remember making this a few weeks ago and thinking to myself, “oh my, how delicious”.
The classical burger has been recreated in this recipe, but with a vegan twist and a load of flavor. These Spicy BBQ Lentil Quinoa Vegan Burgers are certainly the new way to enjoy a nice hearty meal without the meat.
Let’s dig right into this recipe, shall we?
Crust:
To begin, add the organic all-purpose flour, pastry flour, dried parsley, dried thyme, and sea salt to a large bowl and whisk ingredients together.
Add the cubed vegan butter sticks (or regular vegan butter) and using a pastry blender, blend butter into dry ingredients until the mixture becomes “peas-like” and crumbly.
Pour the cold apple cider vinegar-water mixture (slowly + without the ice) and stir (working it together with one hand) until the dry ingredients are moistened. **NOTE: If the ingredients feels a little too dry, add 1 Tbsp of cold water at a time, until it’s moistened BUT not too wet!**
Once you’re able to form it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (minimum), up to 1 and a half hours or of course overnight.
In the meantime, make the filling.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
For the Filling:
Add oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add onions, minced garlic, and carrots, sautéing them until softened and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes and arugula (or your fave greens) and continue to sauté until their juices are released and they have softened.
Add your seasonings and soy sauce and continue to cook veggies until they are ‘dry’ and not too wet. Once done, remove from heat and let cool completely, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add chickpeas and lentils together, mashing them until they are broken down enough, still leaving little chunks.
At this point, transfer your dough ball from the fridge to the freezer for 10 minutes.
Now, add in cooled veggie mixture (from the skillet), breadcrumbs, flaxseed ‘eggs’, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and a tsp of hot sauce (if preferred) and combined together well. **NOTE: Mixture should be ‘pasty’ enough to be formed in your hands. If too wet, add additional breadcrumbs.**
Once desired texture is achieved, using both hands, formulate the filling mixture into a ‘log-like’ shape and set aside.
Assembly:
Remove your dough from freezer and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough ball using a rolling pin (not making it too thin), about 1-inch thick. Carefully, place your flat dough onto the baking sheet.
Now, place your ‘log-like’ filling mixture onto the middle of your flat dough, folding over one side of the dough over the filling mixture. Do the same thing with the other side, until everything is fully wrapped over. Cut off any excess dough on the sides.
Next, roll up the ends of the dough and seal by gently pressing it together with your fingers. **NOTE: Be sure to trim any excess dough before rolling.**
Lifting the parchment paper (carefully), remove the entire loaf and placing a new parchment paper onto the same baking sheet, flip over the loaf so that the ‘sealed’ sides of the dough is facing down onto the baking sheet.
Finally, gently slice through the dough (not all the way down to the bottom), creating small to medium slices. **NOTE: This makes the slicing easier once it’s done.**
Lightly brush the tops and sides with melted vegan butter and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until fully cooked through and the crust is golden brown.
Once done, remove from the oven and let it cool slightly, about 5-10 minutes.
Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with additional dried parsley (optional) and cut all the way through “pre-slices” and serve.
Bon Appetit!
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you choose to make this Vegan Lentil Wellington recipe or any other recipe from us, be sure to tag us on Instagram at #Orchidsandsweettea so that we can share the love!
Vegan Lentil Wellington
This Vegan Lentil Wellington is truly something amazing! Wrapped in a nice herb-infused, flaky crust, and stuffed with a meaty filling, this Holiday main dish is one for the crowd.
Must-Haves:
Crust:
- 2 cups organic all-purpose flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 cup organic pastry flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill; See Notes!)
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup vegan buttery sticks, cold + cubed (I use Earth's Balance; That’s 2 sticks!)
- 1 cup ice cold water
- 2 Tbsps apple cider vinegar
Filling:
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained + rinsed
- 1 cup lentils, cooked + drained (See Notes!)
- 2 flax 'eggs' (See Notes!)
- 2 Tbsps grapeseed oil (See Notes!)
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2 small carrots, peeled + finely diced
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup organic arugula, roughly chopped (See Notes!)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp hot sauce, optional
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, store-bought or homemade (See Notes!)
- 2 Tbsps Worcestershire sauce (Vegan-approved!)
- 2 Tbsps organic tomato paste
- 1 1/2 Tbsps soy sauce, low-sodium
Additional:
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- dried parsley, for garnish
Instructions:
Crust:
To begin, add the organic all-purpose flour, pastry flour, dried parsley, dried thyme, and sea salt to a large bowl and whisk ingredients together.
Add the cubed vegan butter sticks (or regular vegan butter) and using a pastry blender, blend butter into dry ingredients until the mixture becomes “peas-like” and crumbly.
Pour the cold apple cider vinegar-water mixture (slowly + without the ice) and stir (working it together with one hand) until the dry ingredients are moistened. **NOTE: If the ingredients feels a little too dry, add 1 Tbsp of cold water at a time, until it’s moistened BUT not too wet!**
Once you’re able to form it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (minimum), up to 1 and a half hours or of course overnight.
In the meantime, make the filling.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
For the Filling:
Add oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add onions, minced garlic, and carrots, sautéing them until softened and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes and arugula (or your fave greens) and continue to sauté until their juices are released and they have softened.
Add your seasonings and soy sauce and continue to cook veggies until they are 'dry' and not too wet. Once done, remove from heat and let cool completely, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add chickpeas and lentils together, mashing them until they are broken down enough, still leaving little chunks.
At this point, transfer your dough ball from the fridge to the freezer for 10 minutes.
Now, add in cooled veggie mixture (from the skillet), breadcrumbs, flaxseed 'eggs', Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and a tsp of hot sauce (if preferred) and combined together well. **NOTE: Mixture should be 'pasty' enough to be formed in your hands. If too wet, add additional breadcrumbs.**
Once desired texture is achieved, using both hands, formulate the filling mixture into a 'log-like' shape and set aside.
Assembly:
Remove your dough from freezer and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough ball using a rolling pin (not making it too thin), about 1-inch thick. Carefully, place your flat dough onto the baking sheet.
Now, place your 'log-like' filling mixture onto the middle of your flat dough, folding over one side of the dough over the filling mixture. Do the same thing with the other side, until everything is fully wrapped over. Cut off any excess dough on the sides.
Next, roll up the ends of the dough and seal by gently pressing it together with your fingers. **NOTE: Be sure to trim any excess dough before rolling.**
Lifting the parchment paper (carefully), remove the entire loaf and placing a new parchment paper onto the same baking sheet, flip over the loaf so that the 'sealed' sides of the dough is facing down onto the baking sheet.
Finally, gently slice through the dough (not all the way down to the bottom), creating small to medium slices. **NOTE: This makes the slicing easier once it's done.**
Lightly brush the tops and sides with melted vegan butter and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until fully cooked through and the crust is golden brown.
Once done, remove from the oven and let it cool slightly, about 5-10 minutes.
Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with additional dried parsley (optional) and cut all the way through "pre-slices" and serve.
Bon Appetit!
Tips | Notes:
FLOUR: If you don’t have Pastry Flour available, simply substitute for All-Purpose Flour.
LENTILS: 1 cup of rinsed lentils to 2 cups fresh water along with sea salt and boil and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and cover pot and let simmer, for about 20 minutes. If lentils aren’t soft, continue to simmer, checking every 5 minutes. Once done, strain lentils and set aside. Continue recipe.
FLAX EGGS: 2 Tbsps of flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsps water = 2 ‘flax eggs’. Whisk flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl until well combined and let sit for 10 minutes. Mixture should be thick.** Continue recipe!**
OIL: Instead of grapeseed oil, you can also use extra virgin olive oil, if preferred.
GREENS: You can use your choice of greens for this recipe: spinach, kale or arugula.
HOMEMADE BREADCRUMBS: To make your own breadcrumbs, simply grind 1-2 cups of cubed bread into a food processor until finely chopped. Place crumbs onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake for 5-6 minutes in the oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Once brown + crisp, remove from oven and let cool. Continue recipe steps and store remaining breadcrumbs in a tightly sealed container.
PUFF PASTRY: If you choose to opt out of making your own crust, you can always use puff pastry. If frozen: thaw out your puff pastry by putting it in the refrigerator. Once thawed, Roll it out (10×13 size) and continue recipe.
Vegan Lentil Wellington.
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