This vegan Portobello Wellington is pretty enough to serve as a main course for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It features layers of rich beluga lentils, whole portobello mushrooms and sauteed garlic spinach. I created this dish a couple of years ago while looking for a non-turkey main course for Thanksgiving. The dish was a huge success, pretty AND delicious. This year I will be making Mushroom Wellington again but with a gluten free crust.  Just add mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and you’re good to go!  🙂

A traditional Beef Wellington is a fillet steak coated with pâté and duxelles, which is then wrapped in pastry and baked.  In this reimagined vegan  version, whole portobellos stand in for the ‘steak’  and the lentils with shallots and garlic would be the ‘pate’ with duxelles, which is just a fancy name for mushrooms sautéed with onions, shallots and garlic.  The flavor combination of the three layers worked so well together in creating a flavorful but still juicy filling.  I cooked the lentils in vegetable broth for more flavor. Of course, adding sauteed shallots and garlic to the black lentils gave them an even richer taste.  They were a great first layer.  Then I placed whole sauteed portobello mushrooms as the middle later and topped with spinach sauteed in garlic.

Except for the pretty crust, which is what makes this a holiday worthy dish, all of the ingredients add flavor and nutritional value.  Spinach and mushrooms are high in food value, including fiber, vitamins and minerals, plus protein.  They also have zero or low amounts of fat, cholesterol, carbs and sugars.  If I were going to make my own crust, I would try a recipe using white whole wheat flour like this one from King Arthur Flour or this gluten free onehttps://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/gluten-free-classic-double-pie-crust-recipe.  Last time I made this on a whim, so I cheated with pre-made crusts.  It happens…

I chose black lentils, also called Beluga lentils due to their resemblance of black caviar, because I find them the richest in flavor and their texture remains firm when cooked.  However, brown or green lentils would work well here too.  They are also quite healthy.  100 grams of cooked lentils contains 116 calories, 9.02 g of protein, .3 g of fat and 9.02 g of fiber.  They are also rich in minerals and vitamins.  Click for MORE info.

TIPS:  This recipe is easy to prep a day or so ahead of time and assemble just before cooking.  Just prepare the lentil mixture and saute and drain the mushrooms and the spinach, then place in the refrigerator in airtight containers until ready to assemble.  You can preform them into log shapes before refrigerating for easier assembly.  For those who really like to plan ahead, you could probably assemble the whole thing a day or two ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to bake. One word of warning, don’t keep it warm in the oven as the spinach gets overcooked.

PORTOBELLO WELLINGTON

Note:  This recipe can be made with 3 or 4 large portobello mushrooms.  The 3 mushroom wellington will fit in an 18″ baking sheet, while a 4 mushroom one needs a 21″ pan.  The recipe is for both.  For the larger wellington, use the larger quantities.

• 1-1 1/4 cup black lentils (or brown)
• 4-5 cups vegetable broth (optional)
• 3-4 large portabello mushrooms
• 3-4 large shallots peeled and minced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
• 3 Tbs olive oil (divided)
• 8-12 oz fresh spinach (3- 4 cups)
• 2 – 3 blocks or rolls of pastry dough (or puff pastry, if preferred)
• 1/4 cup vegan butter or soy milk (as pastry wash)
• salt and pepper to taste

• Cook lentils in vegetable broth for more flavor (optional) following instructions on package.  Remove from heat and let cool. Trim mushroom stalks if needed and wipe caps clean with a damp paper towel. Do not immerse in water.

• Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and place the mushrooms, top side down. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes or until you hear the water release and sizzle in the pan. Remove from the heat, and drain on paper towel cap side up as they will release liquid as they cool.

• In the mushroom skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil and half of garlic, lightly saute spinach.  Just cook until wilted and liquid releases.  If you decided to use frozen spinach, squeeze out as much water as possible. Remove from heat and let cool

• Saute shallots in 1 Tablespoon olive oil until lightly browned.  Add remaining garlic and cooked lentils.  Stir to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.  Remove from heat and let cool.

• Once cool enough, you should be able to form it into a log.  If you can’t, it’s probably too wet, so return it to the stove or put it in the refrigerator to firm up.

• Roll out pastry dough into any shape you prefer to make both a top and bottom crust.  I used 4 pre-made pie crusts and rolled 1 1/2 together to make the long traditional Wellington shape, however, you can make it a circle, square or rectangle.

• Place bottom crust on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Form lentil log in center of bottom crust and pat into shape

• Arrange mushrooms on top of lentils, cap side up

• Top evenly with the sauteed spinach.  Pat into as smooth a shape as possible for best results

• Place top crust over your lentil, mushroom, spinach creation and smooth it with your fingers.

• Cut around the Wellington using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, leaving a generous 1 inch margin.

• Using a fork, firmly press the two edges closed going all the way around.

• Cut shapes with a cookie cutter to decorate the top if you like.  Leaves would be pretty too. Save any leftover dough for future use.

• Brush the pastry with melted vegan butter or soy milk and poke air holes with a fork.

• Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  If the edges start getting too brown, cover them with strips of aluminum foil. Serve immediately or at room temperature.