Lentils, toasted nuts, sautéed winter veggies all wrapped up in a FLAKY glorious puff pastry. Decadent, hearty, rich, flaky, did I mention flaky? Drizzled in Quick Vegan Onion Gravy or your favourite warmed BBQ sauce, and did I mention flaky!?
I would like to introduce you to my Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf. Hello, nice to meet you. Please don't be offended when I devour you.
This, my friends, is what you call a vegan holiday main dish. It was important to me when making a vegan holiday main for the season that it wasn't just darn tasty, but it had to have a real ooh and aah factor.
Oh boy, (or girl), does this deliver. I'm pretty sure you could wrap a carrot in puff pastry and everyone would be wowed. I mean, come on, puff + pastry. Thank you. Slow clap.
This recipe takes a little bit of work, but the brilliant news? You can make almost all of it ahead of time! Prepare the filling the day before. On the day of, turn on a relaxing holiday soundtrack, select your finest apron, apply your reddest lipstick and straighten those bow ties, then roll out your pastry and effortlessly braid wrap the lentil loaf as your guests arrive, making sure they notice how impressive and relaxed you look.
(Lipstick and bow ties are not necessary but recommended for added kitchen glamour).
To Make Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf:
Add the lentils to a pot with the vegetable broth, cover, and bring to a simmer and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until liquid is absorbed and lentils are soft, even mushy. Then take an immersion blender or potato masher and mush them up until about two-thirds of the lentils are mushy. This lentil mush makes everything hold together nicely. Yum, mushy!
In the meantime, chop the nuts and put them in a dry pan over medium heat. Toast them, keeping an eye on them for about 10 minutes until they are all toasty and fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In a small bowl mix together the flax or chia and warm water and set aside. Flax will take about 10 minutes to thicken whereas chia will thicken almost instantly.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, then sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften up, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté another 5 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and become juicy. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cayenne and sauté about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, mix everything together. The lentils, toasted nuts, veggies, flax mixture, the oats and the flour.
Preheat over to 400F (200C).
On a lightly floured surface roll out one of the puff pastry sheets until you get a rectangle that is about 10 inches by 14 inches. Transfer the pastry sheet to parchment paper.
Take half of the lentil mixture and form a loaf shape down the middle of the puff pastry, leaving a bit of room at both ends. Pat the mixture into a firm log.
Cut strips down each side about 1 inch wide. Cut off the top two and bottom corners and set aside. Now fold up the top flap over the end, then take the top left strip and fold over the loaf. Take the top right strip and fold that over, making an x. Do this all the way down the crisscrossing strips. Try to keep the strips close together leaving only small gaps. Once you get near the bottom, fold the bottom flap up, then finish crossing the last strips tucking the ends into anywhere they look good.
If you want to be all fancy, you can use the set aside corner pieces of pastry to cut little leaf shapes, (or whatever shape you like) and tuck them into the weave.
Repeat with the remaining pastry and lentil mixture so you have two loaves.
Brush the top with non-dairy milk and pick up the loaf by the parchment paper and place onto a baking sheet.
Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes checking every now and then until it's all golden brown and gorgeous. Serve the Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf while hot with Quick Vegan Onion Gravy or warm BBQ sauce.
And enjoy! This is a main dish that is sure to win over the whole table, including the carnivores! Vegan or not, my Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf is a savoury and filling treat that will have you coming back for seconds!
(click stars to vote)
Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf
Servings: loaves. Each loaf serves 4 - 6
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Ingredients
- 1 cup green or brown lentils
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons ground flax or ground chia
- ⅓ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion,, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 8 oz. mushrooms (2 cups), sliced
- 4 cloves garlic,, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt, (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed (check to make sure they are vegan)
- 2 tablespoons plant-based milk, (such as soy or almond)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
- To make the lentil filling: Add the lentils to a medium pot with the vegetable broth. Cover, and bring to a simmer and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until liquid is absorbed and lentils are soft, even mushy. Take an immersion blender or potato masher and mash the lentils until about two thirds of the lentils are mush. This lentil mush makes everything hold together nicely.
- In a small bowl mix together the flax or chia with water and thicken. Flax will take about 10 minutes where as chia will thicken almost instantly.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. When hot, add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté until they soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook another 5 minutes until the mushrooms have shrunken and become juicy. Add in the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cayenne and sauté about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, mix the lentils, toasted nuts, veggies, flax mixture, oats and flour flour together, and set aside.
- To weave the puff pastry: On a lightly floured surface roll out one of the puff pastry sheets until you get a rectangle that is about 10 inches by 14 inches. Transfer the pastry sheet to parchment paper.
- Take half of the lentil mixture and form a loaf shape down the middle of the puff pastry, leaving a bit of room at both ends. Pat the mixture into a firm log. Cut strips down each side about 1 inch wide. Cut off the top two and bottom corners and set aside. Now fold up the top flap over the end, then take the top left strip and fold over the loaf. Take the top right strip and fold that over, making an x. Do this all the way down the crisscrossing strips. Try to keep the strips close together leaving only small gaps. Once you get near the bottom, fold the bottom flap up, then finish crossing the last strips tucking the ends into anywhere they look good.wea
- If you want to be all fancy, you can use the set-aside corner pieces of pastry to cut little leaf shapes, (or whatever shape you like) and tuck them into the weave. Repeat with the remaining pastry and lentil mixture so you have two loaves. Brush the top with non-dairy milk and move to a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes checking every now and then until it's all golden brown and gorgeous. Serve hot from the oven with Quick Vegan Onion Gravy or your favourite BBQ sauce heated up.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Jeannie says
I'm making this for a vegetarian Christmas dinner, can the recipe be doubled?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes absolutely. The recipe already makes two loaves, but feel free to double as needed so you will have 4 loaves 🙂
Varsanarani Myers says
I'm sorry, I guess I'm a computer dunce. I couldn't figure out how to comment without just hitting 'reply.'
I just wanted to say I made this today and it was a hit. It came out (almost) exactly like your photos and tasted great, to boot. I hadn't seen your blog before searching for a vegan loaf the other day, so I look forward to checking out the rest of your recipes. Thanks for doing the leg work - great recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! That's ok! So happy you loved the recipe Varsanarani, and I hope you get to enjoy many more recipes 🙂 I look forward to seeing you around.
Tanya says
Hi! I'm making this for Christmas Eve dinner at my mom's. Can I reheat it so it's warm? I'm planning to bake it a few hours before going to her house then reheating when I get there. Shall I underbake slightly? What temp and how long you think? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hmmm puff pastry isn't really great reheated. It's really best fresh out of the oven. If possible, it would get the best result if you baked it at your mom's house. Hope that helps!
Tanya says
Thanks Sam! I'll try to figure it out. I'll let you know how it turns out. Happy Holidays!
Sam Turnbull says
Happy Holidays!!
Tanya says
So happy with how this turned out!
https://www.facebook.com/tanya.guerrero.169/posts/10211440090221182
Sam Turnbull says
They look stunning!!!!
andrea says
Hi, I can't wait to make this for Christmas this year -- it sounds amazing! I have one clarification question though... I'm confused about the amount of mushrooms to use. It doesn't seem that 1- 8 oz. tub is around 3.5 cups. Isn't one 8-oz tub = 1 cup? Or is it my bad math... Thanks for your help! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
8oz is a weight measurement, so truly it depends on the mushrooms. I think that it's actually closer to 2 cups, based on this site, so good that you asked. Either way, a little more or a little less mushrooms won't mess up the recipe so you are good to go! Hope that helps and enjoy the recipe 🙂
Lauren N says
I just made this loaf for a friendsgiving Saturday. It's been something that I've been wanting to try for a while but needed the occasion. So AMAZING!! I mean so delicious I wondered why I waited for guests. I could eat the whole thing myself!!! I prepped the day before and the day of was effortless. I'm seriously going to make this for weekday meals now cause it was that good. I want to eat it everyday! lol I've made and loved a lot of your recipes (and can't wait for your cookbook) so thank you for these wonderful recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So thrilled it was such a hit. Very happy you are loving my recipes Lauren, I can't wait for my cookbook either! So excited! 😀
Brooke says
This looks so yummy! What would you suggest for substituting the nuts out? I have a nut allergy. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Brooke, you could just skip them and that would be fine. I did that for a friend who had a nut allergy. Enjoy!
jackie says
I made this today, and asked my husband to rate it from 1-10. He said a 10! And that since we started eating heathlier about 3 months ago, he said this was by far his favorite! Now Im going to go check out the rest of your recipes!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha yay!!! So happy you and your husband loved it so much Jackie 🙂 I hope you continue to enjoy more of my recipes!
Judy says
I was thinking of making this for Thanksgiving, but my husband hates mushrooms.
Can I leave them out or is there something I can substitute for the mushrooms?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes you can! I made a mushroom free version for someone who is allergic to them in my family. Worked just the same 🙂
Judy says
Awesome! Thanks. 🙂
DonnaLouWho says
Oh good. It's rainy out and thought I'd make it for dinner tonight and reviewed the ingredients and I have everything except mushrooms. Does it freeze well? Anyone ever say they froze leftovers?
Sam Turnbull says
I hope you love it! I've never had any leftovers! Haha. So I don't know I'm afraid. But my guess is the pastry portion would get a bit soggy.
Deborah says
Did you substitute something else for the mushrooms or just leave them out and increase the other vegetables to make up for the volume?
Sam Turnbull says
Just leave them out and you can increase the other vegetables a bit if you like. Enjoy!
Deborah says
Thank you! I'm making this now
Beth says
I made this today. I had trouble with the pastry tops of the loaves burning about 10 minutes into the cooking time. But then the rest of the pastry (on the sides) hadn't really cooked enough, nor had the inside. I ended up having to slice up the loaves and put the slices on the baking sheet back into the oven. Which kind of worked. It still came out well and got good reviews from our guests. But I'm wondering how to avoid that next time. Do you cover the loaves when cooking? Any other tips? I had two loaves on different racks (middle and bottom) and both tops burned. My oven does run slightly hot, but I put it a little lower temp accordingly (and it's not normally that far off, just some things are done a few minutes earlier).
But thank you for the recipe. I will still make again, just hoping to tweak something to avoid this problem next time!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no! That's too bad Beth. I have never had that problem before. I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer, which can ensure your oven is the correct temperature. Hopefully that will help you get a better result. You wouldn't want to cover it as it would steam the loaf. I'm glad it was enjoyed anyways!
Helen says
I love the recipe, I also use it without the pastry as a lentil loaf exchanging the bits for seeds sometimes and with a few tweeks I use it as a lentil burger and finally while I'm having the lentil loaf I give it to the meat eater as stuffing!!! So versatile and delicious, thank you for sharing
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Wow! I love that you have so many uses for it. So happy you love it so much Helen 🙂
Karen Anderson says
One of the best recipes ..... ever. Seriously. When I want something special - this is my go to dish.
Looks good (not as good as Sam's as i get fumble-fingers when trying to "braid" the pastry). But even then it is an impressive dish that makes everyone want some. Very, very satisfying and delicious.
Thank you Sam!
Sam says
Aww Karen that's so awesome!! So very happy you enjoy the recipe so much, and I love that it is your go to dish for special occasions 🙂
Lillian says
This is making salivate! Can I make it with a pastry crust instead of puff pastry?
Sam says
Hi Lillian,
Hmm.... I don't think that would work. Pastry crust is usually pretty heavy and delicate, where puff pastry is really light and malleable. I would stick to the puff pastry. Hope that helps!
Se says
This tasted amazing. Thanks for the recipe.I'm freezing it to have again.
Sam says
Yay! So happy you loved it Se 🙂
MrsAwesome says
This looks amazing! Can it be made a day or two ahead of time, frozen, and then baked? If so, how long could it be kept frozen? And would you need to let it thaw before putting in the oven? If so, for how long? And does that change the cooking temperature and time?
TIA! 😀
MrsAwesome says
Or, if not frozen ... at least kept refrigerated for a day or two?
Sam says
I have never tried freezing the whole loaf myself, but from my research it seems like it might work just fine. The key is to make sure the puff pastry stays cool while you are working with it, and doesn’t come to room temperature. If it gets too warm it will begin to leach water, and when you refreeze it, it might come out soggy instead of flaky. If you give it a try let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Diane says
This looks so good, it's going to be my main dish for Christmas. Thanks for the recipe and photos.
Sam says
You're so very welcome Diane. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Laura says
Hi Sam! I've been vegetarian for about 4 months now and am really trying to make the transition to fully vegan. I'm making some slow changes now and by January I want to participate in Veganuary. I mean really, could there be any better way to kick off a new year than going vegan? I think not!
I'm so excited to try this recipe! I had planned to make a traditional lentil loaf this weekend and my Omni fiancé was less than enthusiastic. He absolutely loved your creamy red pepper cashew dip though so I'm sure if I let him know this lentil loaf is coming from the same mind he will be much more likely to get on board. This is so much prettier and quite frankly I trust your recipe more than the random one I found online. I will absolutely reply back with how it turned out. If it looks half as beautiful as yours does I'll be sure to share a picture to your Facebook page.
Thanks for what I'm sure is going to be another winning recipe!
Sam says
Congrats on your new vegan adventure!! I agree, no better way to start off the year.
Everybody I have served this loaf to (regardless of their dietary choice), has loved it, so I am sure your fiancé will too!
I am looking forward to hearing how you love it and seeing pictures. If you have any questions are need support just let me know 🙂
thechickinn@ymail.com says
Hi there! I made this recipe for my omni family on Thanksgiving. It was so easy and there were no leftovers! We just made it again last night, only I doubled the recipe to make two loaves (one recipe) and then a bag full of the filling for when we want burgers. I hope those turn out well, I'm sure they will. Thanks for all your great recipes.
Sam says
Yay! That's awesome! I am so happy you and your family loved the recipe so much! Thank you for coming back and leaving your lovely comment 🙂
Delphine says
Hi!
Do you think I could freeze the who loaf (with the uncook pastry, a homemade version that has never been cooked) and use it a couple of days later?
I'm making it for 2 christmas dinners a few days apart... Would be so much easier to juste make 2 the first day and freeze the second one!
Thanks in advance, can't wait to make that loaf! 🙂
Sam says
Hi Delphine!
I have never tried this myself, but from my research it seems like it might work just fine. The key is to make sure the puff pastry stays cool while you are working with it, and doesn't come to room temperature. If it gets to warm it will begin to leach water, and when you refreeze it, it might come out soggy instead of flaky. If you give it a try let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Tara Barnes says
Hello, I am really excited to try this recipe but I live in China and have a very small kitchen. Could I possible cook everything in a slow cooker then put it in the oven?
Sam says
Hi Tara,
The oven is needed to crisp up the pastry and get flakey, I think if you put it in a slow cooker it would get soggy, and not have the desired result. You might have better luck trying this Pumpkin & Lentil Shepherds Pie recipe. I hope that helps!
Hope Mayer says
Hi, I’m excited to try this for my vegan family but was wondering if I could substitute almond flour for the flour asi have a couple with celiac. Also, do you think I could press one of the loaves and bake it in a gfree pie crust and still turn out ok? Thanks for the recipe!!
Sandy says
I made this for my plant-based Thanksgiving today and it was AWESOME! Such a great center piece. I showed my daughter the pictures of the puff pastry process and then left it up to her artistic divine. She decorated one with a mermaid and hermit crab and the other with leaves and acorns. It was so delicious and the recipe was easy to follow.
Great recipe! I'm so glad that I took the time to do something special.
Sandy from Dallas
Sam says
Yay!!!! So happy you loved it Sandy and that it helped make your Thanksgiving so special 🙂
I would love to see the mermaids and hermit crabs! So creative and sounds gorgeous!
Camille says
Hi Samantha!
I plan on making this vegan loaf this weekend for my vegan friends in the UK! The only problem is that one of them is allergic to nuts. Is it ok if I omit the pecans and walnuts? Should I replace them with anything? I don't want this to ruin the texture.
Sam says
Hi Camille,
You can definitely skip the nuts. The do add a nice texture difference, but I don't think it will ruin the texture, I'm pretty sure it will still be delicious. Enjoy!