While I love a good veggie loaf, we wanted something a little more upscale this holiday season. This recipe is tweaked from one I found on a Tasty.com website. Inside are layers of thinly sliced potatoes sandwiching a mushroom, onion, thyme, and spinach filling (lentils optional). This dish pairs nicely with cranberry sauce, mushroom gravy, and mashed cauliflower 'taters' or with a side of roasted veggies.
You can make the filling the day before which helps with busy holiday kitchens! I hardly ever use a store-bought vegan pie crust, but for the sake of time I use one in this recipe. You could also use a puff pastry (I hear Pepperidge Farm has a vegan one), but I couldn't bring myself to go that far!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 carton cremini mushrooms (you can use a mix of mushrooms)
1 small onion, sliced thinly
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tamari
3-4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
3-4 tsp fresh rosemary, minced (or 2 tsp dried)
4 oz baby spinach (about 3-4 cups)
Optional: 1/2-3/4 cup canned black lentils, rinsed and drained
1large white baking potato or sweet potato, peeled and sliced really thin (*see note below)
1-3 tbsp olive oil or veggie broth for sauteing
1/4 cup mushroom or veggie broth
1/2 cup rawmesan or favorite store-bought vegan parmesan
1-2 tbsp plant milk to brush on top of crust
Favorite store-bought vegan pie crusts (package of 2--you need the second crust for decorations)
Optional add-ins: dried cranberries , cranberry jam, vegan cheese slices, nuts/seeds
Serve with your favorite vegan gravy
*Note: I have made this dish with both white potato and sweet potato, and I prefer the sweet potato, but it does lend a sweet taste to the Wellington-especially when I add dried cranberries too. I have also made this with and without the lentils and love it both ways. Choose according to your preferences.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Defrost crust completely.
Chop the mushrooms in a Cuisinart being careful not to over-process them. You want them chopped into crumbles but not pulverized.
Sauté the onion in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil (or water/broth sauté) for a couple of minutes, then add 1/4 cup of mushroom broth and sauté until onions are translucent about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another couple minutes.
Push aside the onions or remove them from the skillet to saute mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and tamari and cook for about 10-13 minutes or until the liquid from mushrooms is evaporated. Clear a spot in your skillet and add the herbs and sauté until fragrant. Mix everything together--the onions, mushrooms, and herbs.
Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Taste mixture and adjust seasoning. You can store the filling in the fridge at this point. When ready, fold in the lentils and rawmesan (or store-bought vegan parmesan). If you plan to use dried cranberries, you can fold them in now as well.
Roll out the pie crust on a piece of parchment paper until you can get it shaped somewhat into a rectangle and a little larger than the original pie crust size (you can steal a little dough from the extra crust if necessary).
Place a row of the sliced potatoes (3 slices wide) down the center third of the crust (see photos below). Sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt and cracked pepper and about 1/2-1 tsp of crumbled dried rosemary. Put mushroom filling on top of potatoes. Top with any optional add-ins. Top the filling with another layer of potatoes, sprinkling with the salt, pepper, and rosemary again.
Fold one side over the filling and then fold the opposite side over it. Fold the ends closed and pinch the dough to seal. Try your best to seal the center seam. Try to flip the Wellington over so that the center seam is underneath. If you are not able to do so without breaking the Wellington leave the seam on top and do your best to cover it with decorations (see photo below). With the other crust, use cookie cutters to cut out fall designs and place them on top of your Wellington. Brush lightly with plant milk and make vent holes on the top of the Wellington. (Sprinkle top with nutritional yeast if you like an extra cheesy taste.) Bake for about 45 minutes or until browned.
With white potato, cranberry jam, and no lentils added:
With sweet potato, lentils, and dried cranberries:
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