Seitan Wellington with Creamy Spinach Sauce

We’re willing to bet that Arthur Wellesley—the man credited with naming the traditional Wellington dish—never heard the word “seitan,” but that doesn’t mean we can’t use this hearty meat substitute for our veganized take on a holiday classic. The fact that we’ve used crimini mushrooms (which are low calorie and high in potassium) in place of beef means you can have seconds—or thirds—without the guilt.

Serves 8

What You Need:

For the mushroom filling:
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cups finely chopped crimini mushrooms
2 large shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegan red wine (merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
 
For the seitan filling:
2 packages “chicken-style” seitan
4 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons mustard, stone ground or German
2 tablespoons vegan red wine (merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus ¼ cup flour for rolling
Grated zest of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 package vegan frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
 
For the Creamy Spinach Sauce:
3 cups baby spinach, packed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
¼ cup, plus 1 tablespoon soymilk creamer

What You Do: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees for the mushroom filling. In a large sautée pan, heat butter and olive oil. Add mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for approximately two minutes. Add thyme, wine, sea salt, black pepper, and flour, and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool.
 
2. For the seitan filling, in a large food processor, combine seitan, thyme, mustard, wine, maple syrup, flour, lemon zest, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper. Pulse until uniform, approximately 20 times, and set aside.
 
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry out to ¼-inch thickness. To make one large Wellington, overlap 2 sheets by approximately 1 inch and press together at seam. Place mushroom filling in center of pastry and spread out, leaving a 1- to 2-inch border on all sides.
 
4. Top mushrooms with seitan filling and fold over puff pastry border to form a log shape, completely sealing filling. If making two small Wellingtons, divide seitan and mushroom filling in half before forming each log shape, and proceed as directed above.
 
5. To bake, place one large or two small Wellingtons seam side down on a greased baking sheet with rims. Make approximately four slits on top of pastry. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
 
6. For the spinach sauce, sautée spinach until wilted in a large pan over low heat with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper. In a blender, combine with soy milk creamer, and purée until smooth. Serve sliced Wellington warm with spinach sauce.