meals

A beef wellington delivers a serious dose of wow factor on special occasions. But what about those of us who don’t eat meat or are trying to cut down? Well, this butternut vegetarian wellington from cookbook author Mokgadi Itsweng is guaranteed to hit the spot and steal the show.

But First, What Is A Wellington?

Everyone knows a steak dinner is special and a beef wellington takes it to a whole new level. Beef Wellington is a steak dish made out of fillet steak and coated with pâté and duxelles (sautéed mushrooms, onions, shallots, garlic, and parsley to make a stuffing). It’s then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. It’s a very famous English dish and some recipes call for you to wrap the coated meat in a crêpe or parma ham to retain the moisture and prevent it from making the pastry soggy.

READ MORE: This Aubergine Curry Is The Ultimate Winter Comfort Meal

So What’s Different About This Vegetarian Wellington?

Well, firstly, it’s vegetarian and doesn’t include any beef. The butternut is the “steak” element. But other than that it’s pretty similar and delivers the same satisfied hums when you serve it at a dinner party. You still have your duxelles to give it delicious flavour and it’s wrapped in puff pastry for an amazing crispy crunch. Trust us on this one, it’s a real crowd-pleaser.

READ MORE: This Creamy Kale Pasta Recipe Features Cottage Cheese As A Secret Ingredient

Butternut Vegetarian Wellington

Mokgadi Itsweng

“This is a real showstopper of a main meal. I only serve it on really special occasions or when I am trying to impress! I love how easy it is to make and how fabulous it looks,” says author of Veggielicious, Mokgadi Itsweng.

Prep Time 20 minutes minsCook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main CourseCuisine Vegetarian

Servings 6 people

1 Butternut (1kg and over), halved and peeled3 Tbsp Olive oil1 Onion (large), finely chopped4 Garlic cloves, finely grated1 Tbsp Fresh rosemary, chopped1 Tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped250 g Mushrooms, cleaned and chopped300 g Morogo, washed and chopped¼ cup Dried cranberries, roughly chopped¼ cup Breadcrumbs, divided into 2 equal portions1 sheet Hot water crust pastry ¼ cup Herb pestoMilk, for the glazeSeasoning herb salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 180°C.On a chopping board, cut off the hollow part of the butternut (chop this part up and freeze for later use) and leave the two solid parts of the butternut. Place the butternut on a roasting tray, drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil over the butternut halves and roast uncovered for 20 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.In a frying pan, heat the rest of the oil and fry the onion, garlic and herbs together for 5 minutes on medium heat, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until nicely browned.Add the chopped morogo and dried cranberries and cook, closed, for 10 minutes. Season with herb salt. Allow the mixture to cool slightly; then once cooled, mix in one portion of the breadcrumbs.To assemble, roll out the pastry on a floured surface, then sprinkle half of the leftover breadcrumbs in the middle of the pastry (an area where the butternuts will go; this will ensure that the bottom pastry stays crispy).Spoon the cooled mushroom and morogo mix over the breadcrumbs, then place the roasted butternuts (side by side so the cut ends touch each other, creating one long butternut) over the mushroom mixture. Brush some herb pesto over the butternut and sprinkle the rest of the breadcrumbs over the top of the butternut.Once the filling is in place, fold the pastry flaps to cover the butternut, joining them together at the top. Use your fingers to pinch together a pattern to enclose the butternut and keep the filling inside. Make incisions along the top of the pastry, allowing the Wellington to release steam during cooking. Brush some milk over the pastry to create a glaze.Bake in the oven for 50 minutes, until pastry is golden and crispy.Serve as a main with your favourite sides and salads.

Keyword comfort food, dinner, vegetarian More