November 22, 2014 254 Comments

Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf

Name: Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 1 cup green or brown lentils; 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth; 1/2 cup toasted pecans (roughly chopped); 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (roughly chopped); 3 tablespoons ground flax or ground chia; 1/3 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); 1/2 teaspoon salt ((or more to taste)); 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne; 3/4 cup rolled oats; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour ((gluten-free if preferred)); 2 sheets puff pastry (thawed (check to make sure they are vegan)); 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk ((such as soy or almond))

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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!

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5 from 66 votes