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Lentil Loaf Wellington

The holidays in America just aren’t the same without the turkeys, the hams, the prime ribs… or are they?

When I first became vegan, one of my biggest fears was that I’d feel like I was “missing out” somehow on the holidays because I couldn’t enjoy all the traditional carnivorous meals I used to and that my family still very much enjoys. Over the years of trial and error, I have come to realize something that I suspect is universal.

People don’t crave eating flesh as much as they think they do. They crave the seasonings, spices (which are all plants after all!) and the connections they make with others over the meals.

It’s never the BBQ ribs I miss. It’s the BBQ sauce and smoky flavor; both of which I can still enjoy. It’s not the roast turkey I miss; it’s the rosemary, lemon, pepper, sage and thyme I crave. In fact, now that I’ve been vegan for four years now, I eat way more flavorful foods now than ever before.

All without increasing my heart disease and cancer risks. That is truly something to be thankful for.

So, I thought I’d share some excellent examples of holiday-worthy dishes that are completely vegan, full of flavor, and would make excellent offerings of healthy nourishment for your family and friends. First up, a main dish that outshines any piece of meat: a Lentil Loaf Wellington. Don’t let the long list of ingredients and steps deter you! This really is a simple recipe.

Courses
Difficulty Intermediate
Time
Prep Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 45 mins Rest Time: 10 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 55 mins
Cooking Temp 400  °F
Calories 330
Dietary Vegan
Description

This is a multi-step undertaking, but you can easily split it up, making the lentil loaf ahead of time, then wrapping it in puff pastry and cooking. I made two of these for Thanksgiving this year, and made the loaf for both on a Sunday, made one of the wellingtons on Tuesday, and the last one on Thursday morning. Leftovers lasted about a week for me.

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup dried brown lentils
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 sheet puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm is vegan)
  • 2 tbsp ground flax seed
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 1 medium sweet onion, diced (about 1 cup diced)
  • 1 large carrot, diced small
  • 2 stalks celery, diced small
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp ground sage
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp pepper, more to taste
  • 1 cup spinach, roughly chopped if desired
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (sub with tamari, coconut aminos or no soy soy sauce if needed)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (sub with any white beans - not chickpeas)
  • 3/4 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds (half pulsed, half whole - can pulse all of them if you don't want the texture; can sub with walnuts)
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (use gluten free if needed)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp dairy free milk, for brushing
  • 1/3 cup vegan butter, melted
To Make
  1. Cook dried lentils in broth according to package instructions, or how you like to make them best. Then remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
  2. If you’re making the entire Wellington at once, go ahead and take one sheet of frozen puff pastry out of the box and let it defrost. Otherwise, wait until wrapping day to do this.
  3. Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 min. It will thicken and gel up a bit. (This makes a flax egg).
  4. Chop your onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Set aside.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  6. Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Add your onions and sauce with water. Alternatively you could use vegan butter or oil here, but the water sautéing I find adds better flavor by deglazing the pan. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
  7. Add the carrots and celery and sauce about 4-5 minutes more or until softened.
  8. Add in garlic and the seasonings - onion powder, dried thyme, ground sage, smoked paprika, dried rosemary, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir together well and let cook for 1 minute.
  9. Add in the tomato paste, soy sauce, vegan worcestershire sauce, maple syrup and liquid smoke and combine until the tomato sauce is fully incorporated. Remove from heat.
  10. Place the vegetable mixture in a food processor, along with the cannellini beans. Give the mixture a few quick pulses to combine the ingredients and also slightly mash everything together.
  11. Next add the lentils to the food processor and give it another quick few pulses. If you’d like your sunflower seeds also broken down, add them here as well. You could also leave them whole.
  12. At this point, we are going to basically pretend the mixture is similar to meat loaf consistency. Place this mixture into a large bowl, and add the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, and flax eggs. Combine together really well.
  13. If you are going to wait to wrap and cook, go ahead and shape the mixture into a log shape. Try to aim for about 3-4 inches wide by about 8-9 inches long. But you can always alter this later. I wrapped mine in parchment paper, and then wrapped it again in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and placed it in the fridge until I was ready to wrap.
  14. When you’re ready to wrap, place the pastry dough on a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit into the baking dish you’ll use. Roll out the puff pastry evenly to a little less than the length of the baking dish, roughly 10 inches long and 8 inches wide.
  15. Brush the entire loaf with nondairy milk.
  16. Take the spinach and make a nice little “bed” for your loaf along the center of the pastry dough. Lay the lentil loaf on top of the spinach and pastry dough.
  17. Brush the entire loaf that is visible with dijon mustard.
  18. For sealing the puff pastry, I cut 1 inch strips on either side of the loaf on the longest sides, and criss cross strips on either side. Tuck the ends up and seal cutting off any excess. You can wrap the loaf however makes sense to you, but this way is pretty — and pretty easy!
  19. Brush the entire pastry with melted vegan butter. Sprinkle with more rosemary.
  20. Place parchment paper and loaf in your chosen baking dish and place into the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Brush with more melted vegan butter if desired.
  21. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 330kcal
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 19g30%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Sodium 460mg20%
Total Carbohydrate 34g12%
Dietary Fiber 5g20%
Sugars 4g
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 2500 IU
Vitamin C 6 mg
Calcium 80 mg
Iron 3 mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

So good! Serve this with cranberry sauce or a vegan gravy. This year, I made a cashew sauce with a little jalapeño and green goddess seasoning mix, and served it with my holiday dishes. It went really well with the loaf, too!

Read it online: https://healthyhermidlife.com/recipe/lentil-loaf-wellington/