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.
Michelle says
Made this for my first time today and it was so yummy! This will be on the menu every holiday! My omni partner gave it a 4.5 stars which he has never given me before! Thanks for all the great recipes! Merry Christmas
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's so awesome, Michelle! So happy you loved the recipe so much 🙂
Deb Donnelly says
Hello, can I make this, leave unbaked, wrap it up, freeze it, then bake from the freezer. Thank you
Sam Turnbull says
Puff pastry is best baked fresh. I wouldn't store the wrapped puff pastry loaf more than a couple of hours ahead of baking for best results. You can make the lentil mixture ahead of time tho. Enjoy!
Allison says
Can I wrap it in the puff pastry, refrigerate it for a few hours, and then bake it or would it be better to bake it the day before and then reheat?
Sam Turnbull says
Puff pastry is flakiest and best when freshly baked, so I would recommend that. 🙂
Tricia Dikeman says
Hello! So happy to find this recipe! We are hosting thanksgiving this year and I’m so happy to have some vegan dishes this year. However, we do have a nut allergy so I will be omitting them. Will this compromise the texture too much? I was thinking about adding pumpkin seeds or sunflower but the only ones I have on hand are salted. Any suggestions? Also I was thinking if adding a handful of chopped spinach for more green.. thoughts? Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
I think my response is too late, but yes, seeds would be a lovely alternative. If they are salted already, then you may just need to reduce the salt in the recipe slightly. Enjoy!
Vicki says
I have made the past 3 years for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and it is always a hit - even with the meat eaters! This year we are travelling for Thanksgiving to a rented house so I don't know what kitchen appliances and tools will be there. I don't want to freeze it, but can I make all or part of this 3-4 days ahead of time and bring it with us or does it all need to be made at once and cooked at that time?
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love it, Vicki! You can make all of the filling ahead of time and then wrap it up the day of and bake. Enjoy!
vicki keeney says
How many days ahead?
Sam Turnbull says
I'd say about 3 days in the fridge.
Jennifer says
Hi Sam,
love your site and your book (it's a regular go-to for me! Quick question - do you think a gluten free pie dough would work for this lentil loaf? Finding a GF puffed pastry borders on impossible and making it homemade is super labour intensive.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy to hear that!! I've actually never worked with gluten-free pie dough, so I'm afraid I have no idea. You could push the lentil mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper, and brush the top with a little bbq sauce and bake it that way. It won't be wrapped, but it will still be pretty and delicious. Hope that helps!
Lina says
I made this for Christmas and it was excellent.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Amanda says
I made this for our Thanksgiving Feast this year. It’s very yummy and now a holiday tradition. Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Amanda! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Michelle says
Hi. Looks amazing!! If I cook in a convection oven, does the time need to be adjusted? Also, since recipe makes 2 loaves, can I freeze half of filling to make a couple weeks later? I’d only be making for my husband and myself so two loaves would be too much!
Thanks
Michelle
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Michelle, I'm not sure about the convection oven as I never use that feature on my oven! You can definitely freeze half of the filling or you could half the recipe. Enjoy!
Kelly says
Could this be made, wrapped, travel an hour, then be put into the oven to bake?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kelly, I think that should work just fine. You could also bake it ahead of time and reheat it. Enjoy!
Kat says
For some reason I thought puff pastry was the same thing as crescent rolls... will it turn out okay?
Kat says
Kat again... just one more question if you don’t mind answering. Since this makes 2 loaves, and I’ll be feeding meat eaters this thanksgiving, I was thinking about adding tofurky sausage to one of them. What do you think, good or bad idea? If it’s a good idea how would you suggest I incorporate it into the dish?
Sam Turnbull says
As for the tofurkey, I wouldn't add that. This recipe has been balanced in flavour and texture as is, and I know my meat eating family loves it! Enjoy!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kat, yeah it's not the same thing. I would recommend sticking to puff pastry as it will provide that gorgeous flaky crust. I'm not sure how crescent rolls would turn out. Hope that helps!
Kat says
Thanks, Sam! I’m sure they’ll love it. Everything of yours turns out amazing. Happy Thanksgiving!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy to hear that 🙂
Julie Rourke says
Hello there, This recipe comes highly recommended and I am going to make for Thanksgiving. I just have one question. The list of ingredients calls for two pastry sheets but the instructions say to roll out one pastry sheet. When is the second sheet of pastry dough used? Thanks so much for sharing your recipes and making transition to vegan such an easy, fun and delicious pursuit.
Julie Rourke
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Julie,
The recipe makes two loaves so further along in the instructions you will see that it says repeat with the remaining puff pastry and lentil mixture. Enjoy!
Yasmin says
Hi I’m making this for thanksgiving for the first time! I don’t have chia seeds or flax handy - can I skip this step and/or use something else?
Sam Turnbull says
The chia or flax helps bind the mixture together so you will need that to help hold the loaf together. Enjoy!
Rebecca says
Super delicious!! It didn't last in my house. I'm going to be making it for a cooking class I'm teaching next week, so get prepared for more subscribers!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome! 😀
Judy says
Hi this looks delicious and I would LOVE to make it Thanksgiving, but my husband hates hates hates mushrooms (he's a weirdo LOL) , Can I substituent another veggie or just leave them out? Or with that compromise the taste/texture of the loaf. Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Judy! You can just leave them out. The texture will have less of that mushroom chew (which I take it is a good thing for your husband), but it is still great. Enjoy!
Claire says
I've made this several times now and it's delicious! I've mixed up the ingredients depending on what we have on hand (I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms and I've used different vegetables and nuts based on what's available. I've successfully frozen the filling, and even a whole puff-pastry wrapped loaf, although it's best cooked fresh. And I've found it so generous that I've always been able to make two family loaves from the one mix - one for straightaway and one to chill or freeze for later in the week/month. I LOVE it! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thrilled you love it so much, Claire! Thanks for the lovely comment 🙂
Ann-Marie Atkinson says
I made this last night, and it was a hit with both my meat eating husband and vegetarian daughter.
Thank you for a great recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy it was a hit! You are most welcome, Ann-Marie 🙂
Candace says
I've got all my ingredients ready to make but just realized I purchased phyllo dough...do I need to go back to the store or should I try it out?
Sam Turnbull says
Unfortunately, phyllo dough is very different and won't work for this recipe. 🙁
Stephanie says
Hey I have some pie crust handy, could I trade it out for the puff pastry?
Sam Turnbull says
No, pie crust is a very different texture than puff pastry, it wouldn't work too well for this.
)eannie says
I did double this recipe for Christmas dinner serving 12 diehard vegetarians. It made 4 beautiful loaves that were beyond delicious! I tweaked it a tad by adding roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds along with a few finely chopped figs. Everyone said it was the best veggie main course ever. At the moment I am again making enough for 2 loaves for tonights's dinner. Thank you for this fantastic recipe
Sam Turnbull says
Best ever!? What better compliment could you get than that! Thank you so much for this lovely comment, it totally made my day! So happy everyone loved it so much 🙂
Suee33 says
If you see this what kind of figs and how do you prepare and add them to this dish - never cooked or used them - at all so any advice would be greatly appreciated! It sounded great, so I am curious.
Thank you
Sam Turnbull says
Any kind of dried fig would work, chopped into small pieces, substituting the dried cranberries. Enjoy!
Joanne says
Delicious - thank you! This went down well with both veggies and omnivores for a family Christmas meal. There was half a loaf left over which kept well in the fridge and reheated just fine the following day, I covered it loosely with foil to stop the pastry over-browning (too tight and it might keep in too much moisture, making the pastry a bit tough). If you don't want to decorate the loaves with the pastry trimmings, try making savoury "bites" by spreading on a little olive tapenade, then put them on a cookie sheet and bake for a few minutes until puffed up and lightly golden at the edges.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy everyone enjoyed them! I love hearing that. Ooo love the idea of savoury bites 😀