Vegetable Wellington: An Elegant Vegetarian Entree for your Holiday Meals

Searching for an elegant vegetarian entree for a holiday meal? This vegetable Wellington is the perfect choice for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas or anytime a delicious vegetarian main dish is a must!

A vegan option is my Instant Pot red lentil chili with pumpkin and black beans.

For ease of browsing, here are all of my main course recipes in one place.

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Even the carnivores at the table will devour this vegetarian holiday entree

Circa Thanksgiving 2010, I was desperate for a vegetarian entree to serve a non-turkey-eating guest. Luckily, I happened upon this recipe from Melissa Clark -- a food writer for the New York Times and cookbook author of multiple books including In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite.

The recipe was for a vegetable Wellington - a variation of a popular beef dish but obviously without the beef. I was intrigued.

My goal was to find a dish that I could prepare ahead of time and would taste hearty enough to count as a suitable substitute for the turkey the rest of us would eat. This mushroom wellington absolutely hit the spot.

Everyone enjoyed it, perhaps more than the turkey, and it returned to our menu the following year by request of all guests. So I wrote to Ms. Clark to ask if I could write about the recipe and she obliged happily.

Why you’ll love this recipe

The original dish – a beef Wellington – is a beef tenderloin wrapped in mushrooms and puff pastry. Once baked, each bite contains crunchy puff pastry, savory mushrooms and juicy steak.

This vegetable variation plays on that concept, keeping the mushrooms in tact but using goat cheese and butternut squash instead of meat. As functional and toasty as the puff pastry is as a blanket for the filling, the ingredients inside really steal the show.

The combination of sweet squash, savory, pungent mushrooms, married together with melted goat cheese and swaddled in flaky puff pastry is nothing short of divine. If you are a vegetarian or are hosting vegetarians, add this recipe to your repertoire. 

Check out my vegetable Wellington web story for a quick visual guide on how to prepare this elegant main course!

Ingredients you’ll need

The Filling

The filling is simple — butternut squash with a hint of thyme and maple syrup, mushrooms sautéed with white wine, garlic, and shallots, and creamy, crumbled goat cheese.

• Butternut Squash: You can buy this squash whole or already cubed. You might even find it in the frozen section. Buying it already cubed definitely saves some time. But if you are used to the technique for cutting up a whole squash, it’s easy and will likely yield enough for this dish and something else.
• Mushrooms: Cremini’s are a nice choice but if you have plain white button mushrooms, go for it. You will be adding flavor to them when they are sauteed so use what you have or what you can find at the market.
• Goat Cheese: Another small but useful shortcut is to get the already crumbled goat, but definitely not necessary. A log will work fine and just use your hands to crumble it. Or try another cheese – I think feta would work really all as an alternative.
• White Wine: A dryer white wine is best such as a sauvignon blanc or chardonnay but I once used a viognier, which isn’t as dry and the mushrooms were still delicious. Another option could be vermouth, sherry or brandy or even a flavorful vegetable stock.
• Thyme and Parsley: Fresh herbs are nice but dried will sub in well here if needed.

The Wrapper

• Puff Pastry: I have used both the Trader Joe’s brand and the Pepperidge Farm brand. The key is to be sure it is fully thawed. But also as cold as possible. If you are working with it and it gets too supple, pop it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to cool off.
• Egg Wash: Just whisk an egg with a bit of water and it makes the perfect bath for the outside of the puff pastry so it cooks up bronzy brown and beautiful.

How to make this recipe

Prepare the fillings (up to a day or two in advance if you want)

1. Precook the squash – I prefer to roast it rather than sauté it in a pan. Just toss the cubed squash pieces with olive oil, salt and pepper on a parchment-lined sheet pan. If you want, throw some thyme sprigs on top and then pop it in the oven.

2. Cook the cubes until they are mostly fork tender. Ok if they are a little under – they will cook more when you bake the wellington.

3. While the butternut squash is roasting, you can make the mushrooms. Sauté in a pan with some butter (or you can use olive oil) – the key is to make sure the juices have released from the mushrooms and the wine also boils away. You do not want wet veggies inside your puff pastry.

Prep the pastry, fold and bake

4. Prep the puff pastries by removing the dough from the freezer and letting it thaw. Lay it out on a floured surface or even better, right on the parchment paper or silpat that you will cook it on. Poke some holes in pastry before you fill it – this is also called “docking”. You want to prevent the pastry from puffing too much.

5. Put down a layer of mushrooms

6. Then layer on the goat cheese.

7. Now layer the squash on the goat cheese, leaving a nice band of puff pastry around the edges. (also ok to put squash then goat)

8. Brush the edges with egg wash.

9. Then close up the Wellington. Gently turn over and egg wash if you are baking immediately. Otherwise, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake them.

10. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Expert Tips and FAQs

Yes there a few steps involved in this dish but don't let that intimidate you at all. Break it down and take short cuts where you can, and you'll find this elegant entree comes together quite easily.

• The original recipe suggests sautéing the squash - I prefer to roast it. You can roast the squash at the same time as you sauté the mushrooms - a big time-saver especially if you are prepping for a large holiday gathering.
• Time-saver: buy pre-cut butternut squash.
• You can also buy pre-cut mushrooms - just watch for freshness and don't let them sit in the refrigerator for too many days.
• If your puff pastry gets too soft to work with, just pop it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up. You can do the same right before you bake it - always best to cook colder puff pastry than pastry that has become warm.

What to serve with this vegetarian entree

Thanksgiving Menu Planner

Arugula and Fig Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate

P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!