The holidays are approaching, and you may be wondering what plant-based entree you can enjoy at your celebrations. How about a vegan Beef Wellington? This dish was served at our last Annual Banquet and was a big hit. It’s a flavorful, hearty dish that looks gourmet though it’s relatively easy to prepare. Scroll down for the recipe and enjoy!

If you’d like to explore some other veganized holiday dishes, join us for our Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck this coming Saturday, November 21, from 1pm to 3:30pm at Matthews Park Recreation Center. Bring a vegan dish to share and join in the fun. It’s not only an opportunity to enjoy an abundance of vegan food, but it’s also a chance to celebrate the holiday with the compassionate community. All are welcome!

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

Beef Wellington

Yields 4 servings

This recipe was served at our 2015 Annual Banquet. For the “beef” in the recipe, we used The Herbivorous Butcher’s vegan ribs without the usual sauce. You can use a mock meat of your choice, but depending on what type of mock beef you are using, you may want marinate it first to add flavor.

• 1 package of pre-made puff pastry dough, thawed (Pepperidge Farm puff pastry is vegan)
• 1 small box of crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 4 pieces of mock beef, 3 ounces each (See note)
• 4 strips of mock bacon
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a dry skillet over medium heat, cook the shallot and mushrooms until tender and all liquid has evaporated. Stir in the dried tarragon and add the salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

Carefully unfold a single sheet of the puff pastry. Place the four pieces of mock beef on the pastry, leaving at least 3/4 inch around each piece. (For each serving of mock meat, 3 inches x 4 inches x 1 inch works well.) Cover the mock beef with a piece of mock bacon and a small spoonful of the mushroom mixture.

Top with a second sheet of the puff pastry. Press down gently between the pieces of beef so that the two sheets come together. Cut the dough into individual servings and then gently crimp the edges with a fork to seal.

Place the pastries on a baking sheet and bake about 20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown.