Vegan Beef Wellington
Have you ever heard of "Beef Wellington"? It's a very old dish with quite a journey behind it, one that few people still know about. Well, we're here to tell you the story behind this puff pastry roast:
The dish gets its name and origin from the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. According to the story, the first Duke of Wellington was served this dish in 1813 by a farmer's wife during one of his excursions, when he stayed overnight at her farm. He loved it so much that it became his favorite meal and had to be prepared for him at least once a week. Since the Duke originally came to New Zealand from England via the colonies, he took the recipe back across the oceans to his family in London during his return journey, introducing it to European kitchens. Source
Nowadays, Beef Wellington is often only served at Christmas or other special occasions, making it an ideal choice if you're still searching for a fantastic holiday meal. Plus, it can be made perfectly—and super easily—vegan.
For the vegan filling, we used a variety of colorful winter vegetables and The Vegan Hack from Tomami. Made from purely European pea and sunflower protein, this dried and unseasoned product is incredibly versatile. It's quick and easy to prepare—just 100 grams of it turns into a full 300 grams of vegan mince after soaking! That's definitely enough to make a hearty Wellington filling.
And if you're wondering how to achieve that beautiful pattern on the puff pastry, you can, theoretically, cut any design you like into your vegan puff pastry (waves, zigzag lines, etc.). But if wrapping it with a detailed pattern feels too complicated, you can use half the puff pastry and skip the second layer. We used a sharp knife to make small slits in the dough and then pulled them apart slightly to create our pattern.
Vegan Beef Wellington
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 50 g (1.75 oz) vegan mince, dry weight (e.g., by Tomami)
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 50 g (1.75 oz) prunes
- 75 g (2.66 oz) roasted sunflower seeds
- 150 g (5.33 oz) canned brown lentils
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 parsnip
- 100 g (3.5 oz) mushrooms
- 2 onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 100 g (3.5 oz) fresh kale
- 100 g (0.33 cups) vegan cooking cream
- salt
- pepper
Additionally:
- 600 g (1.33 lbs) vegan puff pastry
- 50 g (3 tbsp) vegan cooking cream
For the Salad:
- 200 g (7 oz) fresh lamb’s lettuce
- 100 g (3.5 oz) radicchio
- 100 g (3.5 oz) pickled beetroot
- 1 pear
- 2 red onions
- 100 g (3.5 oz) walnuts
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
For the filling, prepare the vegan mince according to the package instructions by mixing it with miso paste, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Chop the prunes into small pieces and soak them in hot water. Toast the sunflower seeds in a pan without oil until golden, then set them aside. Drain the canned lentils in a sieve and rinse well. Peel and dice the carrot, celery, parsnip, mushrooms, onions, garlic cloves, and kale, if necessary.
Sauté the onions and garlic in a large pan or wok. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the soaked prunes, lentils, and toasted sunflower seeds to the vegetables and mix well.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C/390 °F (top/bottom heat) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a separate pan, fry the vegan mince in plenty of oil, breaking it up as it cooks. Once it’s nicely golden brown, fold it into the vegetable mixture. Combine the filling with the vegan cooking cream until it reaches a moist consistency that holds together well. Season everything generously with salt and pepper.
Roll out the first sheet of puff pastry and place it on the baking tray. Shape the filling into a log along the center of the pastry using your hands. Fold the long sides of the pastry over the filling, tucking in the short ends. Brush with vegan cream. Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry and use a sharp knife to score a pattern of minor diagonal cuts into the dough, creating a diamond pattern when gently stretched. Carefully place this sheet over the first one, pressing the edges together underneath and trimming any excess. Brush again with vegan cream and bake at 200 °C/390 °F (top/bottom heat) for 60 minutes, until the pastry is beautifully crispy and golden.
For the salad, rinse the lamb’s lettuce and radicchio under cold water, tear them into pieces, and place them in a large bowl. Slice the beetroot, pear, and red onions into thin half-moon shapes, roughly chop the walnuts, and add everything to the bowl.
For the dressing, blend olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour over the salad and toss well. Slice the vegan Beef Wellington and serve with the salad.
