This vegetarian wellington makes a brilliant meat-free centrepiece for any special occasion dining.
When it's cut open, it reveals a rainbow of root vegetables - orange butternut squash and dark pink beetroot with a flash of green from the spinach. It's so pleasing to serve up. The recipe serves 8. However, if your family is larger and you're serving to a mix of vegetarians and meat eaters, you could make a beef wellington to serve alongside. It makes a great Christmas or Boxing Day feast - serve with roast potatoes and some dark green leafy veg, plus vegetarian gravy if you like.
Ingredients
- 1 squash, peeled, cut into quarters, then each quarter cut into 4
- 500g beetroot, unpeeled
- 1 tbsp chicken seasoning (this is a spice mix and doesn’t actually contain any chicken)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 650g puff pastry
- 250g baby spinach
- 400g curd cheese
- 500g vegetarian stuffing
- 1 large egg, beaten
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Arrange the squash in a roasting tin and the beetroot in another. Sprinkle the chicken seasoning over the squash and drizzle oil over both. Roast for 25 mins.
- Remove the squash and cover the beetroot with foil. Cook for 35 mins more, until the beetroot is tender. Set aside to cool, then peel it and cut it into wedges.
- Turn the oven up to 220°C/425F/Gas 7. Take one third of the pastry and roll out to a 15 x 25cm rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, prick with a fork and chill for 30 mins, then bake for 12-15 mins, until puffed and golden. Cool on a wire rack.
- Put the spinach in a bowl, cover loosely with cling film and microwave on High for 1-2 mins, until just wilted. Tip into a sieve and press with a potato masher, to remove excess liquid.
- Return the cooked pastry to a parchment-lined baking tray. Arrange a layer of the spinach over it then spread over the beetroot. Spoon over the curd cheese.
- Shape the stuffing into a long sausage shape and place along the centre. Arrange the roasted squash in another layer, then finally top with the remaining spinach.
- Roll out the remaining pastry to a large rectangle; 23 x 34cm.
- Brush the rim of the cooked pastry base with egg, then cover the whole thing with the pastry rectangle, pressing lightly around the stack to seal. Chill for at least 30 mins, or overnight if you’re preparing it ahead.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/400F/Gas 6 and bake the wTellington for 40-45 mins, until golden.
Top tip for this vegetarian wellington
Re-roll out the pastry trimmings and use them to cut out shapes to decorate the top of the wellington. For instance, if this is a festive feast, use a holly cookie cutter to stamp out 22 holly leaves. Brush the pastry all over with egg and top with the holly leaves.
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