Vegan Wellington with Oven-Roasted Carrots

July 20, 2025

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This vegan Wellington is crammed with braised lentils, finely chopped walnuts, and a ravishing orange heart of tender, oven-roasted carrots. It’s a show-stopping centerpiece for vacation meals, gatherings, and particular events—and it’s extremely healthful, additionally.

A vegan Wellington has been prepared with carrots and lentils at the center. Two slices of the puff-pastry-wrapped Wellington are arranged on a small, round white plate.

The vegan Wellington that I’m sharing right this moment is a real centerpiece in your celebratory desk.

Sure, all of us have festive sides which might be plant-based already, or they simply could possibly be. And I do know that lots of people really feel as if aspect dishes are the true spotlight of vacation meals.

I’m unsure that I agree.

I like a heaping serving to of mashed potatoes, a scoop of creamed spinach, or a aspect bowl of salad as a part of a particular dinner.

However I additionally like with the ability to serve a most important dish that feels undoubtedly just like the star of the present.

Vegan Wellington is such a dish. It’s additionally scrumptious, stuffed with nutrient-rich components, and enjoyable to assemble.

How this recipe got here to be

Years in the past, I ate at a restaurant in New York Metropolis that had a (non-vegan) carrot Wellington on the menu. I assumed to myself that it was an excellent concept for a “fancy” plant-based entrée, and I made a notice to myself to strive a home made model someday.

Years glided by, and I conquered a whole lot of different elaborate or advanced recipes. I baked bread, pie, and even puff pastry.

But I remained somewhat intimidated by the thought of a Wellington, till I lastly gave it a do that fall. I spotted that I’d been foolish to keep away from it for thus lengthy!

First, there’s no requirement to make use of home made puff pastry when making a Wellington at dwelling. The frozen puff pastry from Pepperidge Farm, Pillsbury, Candy Loren’s, and Dufour Plant-Primarily based are all vegan and can be utilized for the outer shell.

Setting up the Wellington is somewhat concerned, as you’ll see. However in case you strategy it patiently and deal with it as a (scrumptious) challenge, it’s additionally actually rewarding.

I discovered one important factor in my home made vegan Wellington experiments: in a single day chilling time is crucial.

Should you put freshly roasted greens and sizzling lentils right into a sheet of puff pastry, it’ll soften or soften on the spot. Puff pastry must be chilly when it goes into the oven.

So, you should definitely account for an in a single day chill as you propose this meal.

A healthful and exquisite cross-section

My carrot Wellington isn’t solely crammed with carrots. There are additionally braised lentils and walnuts concerned.

These components give the Wellington its construction and form, they usually lend plant-protein and healthful fat to the recipe. They enhance its dietary steadiness and assist to make it a extra filling vegan most important dish.

You’ll braise, or simmer the lentils in liquid, so as to cook dinner them. After they’re cooked, you’ll pulse them in a meals processor with toasted lentils.

Some lentils will stay entire, others will likely be damaged down. The processed combination will maintain the carrots within the heart of the Wellington.

Talking of that, you’ll roast the carrots in two elements. First switch them to the oven with a foil or parchment cowl, to steam-cook and tenderize them. Then, roast the carrots uncovered, in order that they begin to brown and turn into glazed in look.

The 2-step roasting course of helps to make sure that the carrots don’t begin burning earlier than they’re totally tender.

Let’s undergo the steps, one after the other.

Learn how to make vegan Wellington

Earlier than you begin cooking the Wellington components or excited about meeting, dedicate a second or two to planning.

You’ll want to provide the lentil filling and the roasted carrots an in a single day chill, in order that they’re good and chilly if you assemble the Wellington. It’s additionally vital to thaw the puff pastry sheet about one hour earlier than you employ it (observe the producer’s directions).

Once I make the recipe, I typically put together the carrots and lentil filling on at some point, then assemble and bake the next day. Splitting the method into steps makes the entire thing really feel doable.

Step 1: Preheat the oven and toast your walnuts

Start by preheating your oven and oven-toasting the walnuts that go into the Wellington filling. Toasting the nuts this manner deepens their taste.

Step 2: Roast your carrots

When you’ve toasted and eliminated the walnuts, flip to roasting your entire carrots.

It’s not arduous to roast entire carrots in the event that they’re small. The issue with larger ones is that it takes them fairly some time to turn into totally tender. Usually their exteriors begin to burn earlier than the interiors are cooked by.

So as to keep away from this, I exploit a two-step roasting technique for the Wellington.

First, you’ll wrap the carrots tightly in foil or parchment paper, like a sealed little bundle. It’s the identical technique that I exploit for my oven roasted beets, and it’s a type of par-cooking.

In contrast to the beets, the carrots will get unwrapped and seasoned halfway by cooking, and also you’ll end roasting them uncovered. They need to be very tender and have an virtually glazed look if you’re completed.

Roasted carrots are resting on a parchment-lined baking sheet. — The entire roasted carrots will likely be very tender after they arrive out of the oven. Due to seasonings and a contact of maple syrup, they’ll have a mildly glazed look.

Step 3: Prepare dinner the lentils

You’ll braise, or simmer-cook, the lentils with broth and a combination of carrots, onion, celery, and herbs. This seasons them properly.

An overhead image of a silver pot, which is being used to cook a batch of lentils. — Simmering the lentils with onions, carrots, and celery, together with herbs and broth, ensures that they’re well-seasoned earlier than they go into the Wellington.

I like to make use of French lentils on this recipe, personally. I like any such lentil and at all times have some available for my hearty vegan French lentil soup or French lentil Niçoise.

Nevertheless, it’s advantageous to substitute black lentils, pardina (Spanish) lentils, or common brown or inexperienced lentils within the recipe. Should you use brown or inexperienced, they’ll want much less cooking time than French (20-25 minutes reasonably than 35).

Step 4: In a single day chill

As soon as the lentils and carrots are cooked, switch them to hermetic storage containers and provides them an in a single day chill.

Should you’d prefer to make your complete recipe in a single day, you can begin early and chill each elements for no less than 4 hours, or till chilly.

Step 5: Pulse the lentils and walnuts collectively

On the next day (or at the least 4 hours later), you’ll be able to pull the lentils from the fridge. Switch them to a meals processor fitted with the S blade and pulse them along with the toasted walnuts.

You’ll find yourself with a considerably crumbly combination; the lentils will likely be partially damaged down, and the walnuts will assist with binding.

Step 6: Assemble your vegan Wellington

The enjoyable of meeting begins!

Observe that you just’ll must defrost your puff pastry about one hour earlier than you assemble the Wellington, so plan accordingly. You must also preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C.

Retailer-bought puff pastry is normally offered in both a single 14- or 15-ounce (400-425g) sheet or a bundle of two 8.5 ounce / 240g sheets.

The recipe card, beneath, will give directions for each choices. Basically, in case you have two sheets at dwelling, you’ll roll them out collectively in order that they merge into an even bigger sheet.

Both means, you’ll roll the puff pastry out and prepare a layer of the lentil/walnut combination alongside the lengthy aspect.

High this layer with a pleasant, stacked layer of carrots. I do two layers and alternate their course, in order that they are often as evenly organized as doable.

A sheet of puff pastry is being filled with whole roasted, bright orange carrots. — Alternating the course of the carrots as you prepare them will provide help to to maintain them in a roughly rectangular form.

When you’ve received a pleasant stack of carrots, you’ll be able to cowl them with the remaining half of the lentil combination. Attempt to pat it down across the sides of the carrots, too, in order that they’re totally enveloped.

Subsequent, you’ll wrap one aspect of the puff pastry round your filling components. It ought to impartially cowl the highest layer of lentils.

A dish made with cooked lentils and puff pastry is being constructed. — Wrap one lengthy aspect of the puff pastry excessive of the lentils, then roll all the things sideways to wrap the Wellington up.

Roll the entire Wellington up sideways, so that you just encompass the column of fillings with puff pastry. If you end, trim any extra pastry and seal the lengthy edge.

End by trimming and tucking the pastry on the brief ends of the Wellington. Lastly, lower a number of diagonal strains on the highest of the Wellington to vent because it cooks, and brush the highest with aquafaba.

Step 7: Bake

Switch the vegan Wellington to your oven and bake it for 40-45 minutes.

A vegan Wellington has just been baked and is a golden brown color. It rests on a parchment-lined baking sheet. — Brush the Wellington as soon as midway by baking with further aquafaba. It is going to be a deep golden shade of brown and properly puffed after baking.

I prefer to brush the highest of the Wellington as soon as once more with aquafaba midway by it’s baking time. This offers it a pleasant, delicate glaze.

After baking, the Wellington will likely be a ravishing golden brown and the pastry may have overvalued.

I like to recommend ready at the least twenty minutes earlier than slicing and serving your Wellington. Alternatively, you’ll be able to switch it to the fridge and retailer it for as much as 5 days, or you’ll be able to freeze it for as much as six weeks.

What to pair along with your vegan Wellington

The Wellington will play properly with so many veggie aspect dishes. Its earthy flavors and hearty consistency work effectively with a recent inexperienced salad.

Attempt my favourite butter lettuce aspect salad, Brussels sprout kale salad, or cauliflower pomegranate salad. Or, pair it with your personal favourite day by day salad for freshness and crunch.

It’s additionally good to serve the recipe with shaved or roasted Brussels sprouts, some easy steamed broccolini, or inexperienced beans with Dijon French dressing.

Should you’d like so as to add a leafy inexperienced part, however you’re not within the temper for salad, it could be actually fairly to serve the vegan Wellington slices over a mattress of steamed kale or evenly sautéed spinach.

Regardless of the way you current the dish, it’s positive to impress!