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This Lentil Wellington is a savoury filling of lentils, chestnut mushrooms, chestnuts, tamari, mustard and herbs wrapped in golden puff pastry. It takes 10 minutes of prep, 50 minutes in total and serves 8, so it is an easy meat free centrepiece for Christmas dinner or a Sunday roast. For another festive main, see my Christmas Nut Roast.
Easy Lentil Wellington at a Glance
James's tipLet the filling cool for 5 to 10 minutes before it goes on the pastry, and pack it tightly. A cool, compact filling keeps the pastry crisp and the slices neat.
Key ingredients
- Lentils
- Chestnut mushrooms
- Chestnuts
- Puff pastry
Why you'll love it
- A showstopper with 10 minutes of prep
- Make it the day before Christmas
- About 397 kcal a slice
Quick summary
Lentils, mushrooms, chestnuts, tamari, gravy granules, tomato puree, mustard and herbs cook together, cool, then get wrapped in puff pastry and baked at 200°C fan for 20 minutes. Serves 8 at about 397 kcal a slice.
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About this Lentil Wellington
This Wellington is one of those recipes that impresses guests every time: golden, flaky pastry with a rich, savoury lentil and mushroom filling. If you like it, you will love my Vegan Sausage Rolls.
If this one goes down well, my 20 Minute Lentil Bolognese is another lentil favourite.
Best of all, there is no faff. It uses everyday ingredients, takes about 10 minutes to put together and then 20 minutes in the oven, even though it looks like you spent all day on it.
It is part of my 29 Vegan Christmas Recipes roundup, along with my 19 Christmas Side Dishes and Vegetables.
Why you will love it
- Super Easy: Ten minutes of prep and no fiddly lattice or rolling.
- Full of Flavour: Tamari, mustard, gravy granules and herbs make the filling rich and savoury.
- Crunchy: The pastry bakes golden and flaky to give every bite some crunch.
- Make Ahead: Assemble it the day before and bake on the day, which frees up your oven on Christmas morning.
- Feeds a Crowd: One Wellington serves 8.
- Pastry: Most shop bought puff pastry is suitable for vegans, and I use a gluten free one. I also use it for my Butterbean and Leek Pie.
Ingredients to make Lentil Wellington
- Puff Pastry: Two sheets of ready rolled gluten free puff pastry (I use Jus-Rol). Any ready rolled puff pastry works if you do not need it gluten free.
- Lentils: Cooked lentils from a tin, drained well, give the filling its hearty texture. Spare tins? Make my Stuffed Butternut Squash.
- Chestnut Mushrooms: Finely chopped, for a deep umami flavour.
- Chestnuts: Cooked vacuum packed chestnuts add texture and a festive flavour.
- Tamari: A gluten free soy sauce for a salty, savoury depth.
- Dijon Mustard: For depth and a little heat.
- Garlic: Crushed.
- Tomato Puree: Adds richness and colour.
- Gravy Granules: My secret weapon for flavour. Check the pack is gluten free and vegan if you need it to be.
- Rosemary: Finely chopped. Got spare? Make my Rosemary Roast Potatoes.
- Thyme: Finely chopped. Spare sprigs are great on my Hasselback Potatoes.
Substitutions
If you have not got everything, here are some easy swaps. Prefer mash to pastry? The same lentil base works in my Vegan Shepherd’s Pie.
- Chestnuts: Walnuts or pecans.
- Tamari: Soy sauce, if you do not need it gluten free.
- Gravy Granules: Vegetable stock powder.
- Fresh Herbs: 1 tsp each of dried rosemary and thyme.
How to make Lentil Wellington
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas 7). Fry the mushrooms, chestnuts and tamari in a little olive oil until the mushrooms brown, then stir in the lentils, garlic, gravy granules, tomato puree, mustard and herbs. Cook for 2 minutes, then cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Steps 2 to 5: Lay one pastry sheet on a lined tray and pile the filling down the middle about 5cm high, leaving a border. Lay the second sheet over the top, press the edges together, trim, crimp with a fork, score the top and brush with olive oil.
Step 6: Bake at 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas 7) for 20 minutes until golden. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife. While it bakes, roast my Roast Parsnips.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Assemble it the day before, cover and keep it in the fridge, then glaze and bake on the day, adding 5 minutes. You can also bake it fully, cool, chill for up to 2 days and reheat once at 180°C fan (200°C conventional, gas 6) for 15 to 20 minutes until piping hot. Do not leave it at room temperature.
Jus-Rol gluten free puff pastry, which is the easiest to find in UK supermarkets. Any ready rolled puff pastry works if you do not need it gluten free.
Meaty mushrooms like chestnut, portobello or button mushrooms. Chop them finely so the filling holds together.
Yes. Wrap the unbaked Wellington well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then glaze and bake as normal until piping hot.
Drain the lentils well, let the filling cool before it goes on the pastry, and bake on a preheated tray.
All the Christmas trimmings: roast potatoes, my Smashed Brussels Sprouts, gravy and cranberry sauce. Start with my Parsnip Soup as a starter.
Top tips
- I use Jus-Rol gluten free puff pastry, but any ready rolled puff pastry works if you do not need it gluten free. I also use it on my Gluten Free Mushroom Stroganoff Pie. (This is NOT a sponsored recipe)
- Be gentle when placing the pastry over the mix and also when crimping the edges with a fork!
- Be gentle when scoring. Brush with oil before scoring for bold lines, or after for a subtle pattern. Always score so steam can escape.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing so the moisture doesn’t evaporate immediately.
- Slice with a serrated knife to cut cleanly through the pastry.
Serving suggestions
My favourite things to serve with it:
- Going all out on Christmas Day? Add my Vegan Yorkshire Puddings (Gluten Free).
- Pour over my Best Mushroom Gravy.
- A spoon of my Homemade Cranberry Sauce.
- My Roasted Root Vegetables or Vegan Dauphinoise Potatoes.
Leftovers, make ahead and freezing
Make ahead: Assemble the Wellington the day before, cover and keep it in the fridge. Glaze and bake on the day, adding about 5 minutes.
Leftovers: Cool, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat once at 180°C fan (200°C conventional, gas 6) for 15 to 20 minutes until piping hot. Leftover filling? Use it in my Vegan Mushroom Pie.
Freeze: Wrap the unbaked Wellington well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then glaze and bake as normal until piping hot.
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Easy Lentil Wellington
Ingredients
- 2 sheets gluten free puff pastry, (I use Jus-Rol pictured above)
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped (2 cups)
- 150 g pre-cooked chestnuts , finely chopped (1 cup) (see notes for other ideas)
- 2 tbsp tamari , (30ml) (see notes for other ideas)
- 2x 400 g cans of pre-cooked lentils, drained and rinsed (4 cups)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp gluten free & vegan gravy granules/powder, (see notes for other ideas)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- large sprig rosemary, finely chopped
- large sprig thyme , finely chopped
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas 7).
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped mushrooms, chestnuts and tamari and cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms soften and brown.
- Add the well drained lentils, crushed garlic, gravy granules, tomato puree, dijon mustard and the chopped rosemary and thyme, and mix.
- Cook for 2 minutes, then take off the heat and cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Place the first pastry sheet onto a baking tray and spoon the filling down the middle, leaving a border. Pile it about 5cm high and keep it compact.
- Lay the second pastry sheet on top and press firmly around the filling and edges.
- Trim any excess pastry (save it for shapes), crimp the edges with a fork, score a few lines on top to let steam out and lightly brush with olive oil.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife.
Video
Notes
- Chestnuts: Walnuts or pecans
- Tamari: Soy sauce (if you do not need it gluten free)
- Gravy granules: Vegetable stock powder
- Fresh herbs: 1 tsp each of dried rosemary and thyme
- Be gentle when placing the pastry over the filling and when crimping the edges with a fork.
- Brush with olive oil before scoring if you want the score marks to stand out more.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing so the filling holds together.
- Slice with a serrated knife to cut cleanly through the pastry.
Nutrition
Absolutely love this recipe make it for Christmas dinner every year and for special occasions too! My family say we should have it more often. Thank you James
Thanks so much Ann 🙂
I made this last Christmas and even the meat eaters were raving about it. I’m making it again this year – I can see this becoming an annual favorite for years to come! Thank you James
Thanks so much 🙂
Wanting to cook this for daughter at Christmas, can this be made and frozen and cooked another day.
Yes that should be fine Karen, enjoy!
Made the filling today, ready to assemble tomorrow. Easy to follow recipe. Cooked my own lentils and at this stage it tastes absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to complete and looking forward to my family’s verdict. Can see that I’ll be repeating this recipe again. Thank you. Will now explore some more of your recipes.
Thanks Carolyn 🙂
My absolute favourite meat free Sunday lunch. So easy to make and tastes delicious.
Aww thank you 🙂