Whether for a nutritious dinner or the showpiece for a dinner party, a tasty vegetarian wellington is always going to be a hit! Combine sweet and savoury into one perfect package with this Lentil and Butternut Squash Wellington!
Try serving this wellington with Roasted Aubergine with Garlic Tahini Sauce!
I’m a sucker for anything in pastry. Whether sweet or savoury, flaky, buttery pastry is the perfect packaging for pretty much anything.
So when looking for ideas for main dish ideas that would add some flair to my dinner table, a wellington seemed like the obvious choice.
This Lentil and Butternut Squash Wellington is the result of my experimentation, and honestly I couldn’t be more pleased! My family couldn’t have loved it more, and I’m sure it’ll be a hit in your home too!
Why you’ll love it
Lentils and butternut squash are ingredients that belong together. Adding nutty, savoury lentils with soft, sweet butternut squash is just too perfect.
I think they are particularly good together when a little sharpness is added, like blue cheese or feta. It’s fantastic flavours in perfect balance, which is what every recipe should strive for.
It’s the perfect filling to package up into buttery, flaky puff pastry. Perhaps it’s not a traditional wellington, but it is stunningly good!
The recipe is also easy to adapt, whether with twists to the filling or playing with the format. I’ve made both one large wellington and individuals pastry pockets, and I’m still not sure which one I love more!
Leftovers and storage
This vegetarian wellington will last for a short while when stored in a refrigerator in an air tight container. But the pastry will start to get soggy so eat within a day or two.
It can be reheated in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, or until hot throughout.
But even better than an oven is an air fryer, which will do wonders for making the pastry crisp again. I cut mine into pieces and reheated at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Walnut pieces will add a festive twist to the recipe and a bit of variety to the texture. Stir approximately 50g of walnut pieces into the stuffing mixture before baking.
- Blue cheese adds a beautifully tangy twist to the wellington and is a great match for the savoury lentils and sweet butternut squash. If blue cheese isn’t your thing, feta will be a good substitute.
- All butter pastry has the best combination of flakiness and good taste. Choose this whenever possible.
- It will be easiest to work with the pastry if it is allowed to warm up slightly before use, enough that it is pliable but not yet at room temperature. Don’t let it warm up too much though as it will prevent flaky layers from developing.
More butternut squash recipes
Lentil and Butternut Squash Wellington
Vegetarian wellington with savoury lentils, sweet butternut squash and tangy blue cheese.
Ingredients
- 1kg/2 lbs butternut squash, cubed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 0.5 teaspoon paprika
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked)
- 0.5 teaspoon coriander
- 150g/1 cup green lentils, cooked or canned
- 85 ml/1/3 cup tomato passata
- 50g/ 1 ¾ cup spinach
- 100g/3.5oz blue cheese
- 320g/12oz puff pastry
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Peel the butternut squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds, then cut into cubes. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F, spread the butternut squash chunks on a baking sheet, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt,½ teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon paprika, toss to coat evenly. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside till needed.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan, add the chopped onion, 1 teaspoon paprika nd ½ teaspoon ground coriander and cook over low heat for 7-10 minutes till tender, than add the minced garlic and cook for no longer than 30 seconds. Then bring in the cooked or canned green lentils, tomato passata and a pinch of salt. Mix everthing together and cook for 10 minutes over low heat. Then add in spinach and let it wilt, which should take 2-3 minutes. Take of the heat and combine with roasted butternut squash, allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Then mix in crumbled blue cheese.
- On a floured surface roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle of ¼ inch thickness or use already rolled puff pastry. Add the mushroom mixture to the centre of the rectangle and form into a log, leaving 1 inch border on the shorter sides to seal. Brush all 4 sides with a beaten egg. Pick up the long sides of the puff pastry sheet and wrap them around the mushroom log making sure the edges overlap, then seal by pressing on the edge with a fork dipped into a beaten egg.
- Carefully transfer the Wellington on a parchment paper lined baking pan placing it seam down. Then brush with the egg wash all over. Score with a sharp knife to form an attractive pattern. (Crisscross is a classic pattern used for Wellingtons or you can decorate as you wish) Bake in the preheated 200C/400F oven for 40-45 minutes until golden. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Alternatively you can make 4 individual Wellingtons. Reduce the cooking time to 35 minutes.
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