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A festive, vegan alternative to beef wellington made with portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, and a flaky, golden, puff pastry

Mushroom Wellington

Yield: 8 people

Description

*The brand of puff pastry you buy will determine how you roll the dough. See the post for details specific to each brand.
- If your pastry has 17.3 oz in two sheets, roll each sheet into a 12- by 12-inch square and cut each one into four 6- by 6-inch squares for a total of eight.
-If your pastry is 13 or 14 oz in one sheet, you'll need two boxes. Roll each 13-14 oz sheet into an 18- by 12-inch rectangle and cut it into six 6- by 6-inch squares. You'll have four leftover puff pastry squares that can be refrozen.
The Wellington packets can be made ahead and frozen. No need to thaw them, simply add ten minutes to the baking time for a total of about 35 minutes.

Ingredients

Broiled Portobello Mushrooms & Gravy

  • 8 medium portobello mushrooms, stems removed, gills scraped out, and both reserved
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup each: balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and olive oil
  • 1/2 cup red wine or dry vermouth

Caramelized Onions

  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 large sweet onions, halved and sliced thin

Mushroom Paté

Wellington

  • 1 box (17 oz) store-bought puff pastry*, regular or vegan
  • 2 large eggs, beaten or 1/2 cup chickpea cooking liquid (aquafaba) from a 15-oz can
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch (for finishing the gravy)

Instructions

Make Caramelized Onions (refrigerate until ready to use)

  • Heat the oil over low heat in a large roasting pan set over 2 burners while slicing the onions. A few minutes before adding the onions, increase the heat to medium-high. Add the onions: cook, stirring often, until they are dramatically reduced and light caramel brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low; continue to cook the onions, stirring frequently until they are rich caramel, 20 to 30 minutes longer. (Can be cooled to room temperature, and refrigerated in a covered container for several weeks.)

Make Broiled Portobellos & Prep Gravy (refrigerate until ready to use)

  • Place prepared mushrooms in a gallon-size freezer bag. Place garlic, vinegar, soy, and oil in a food processor; blend to make an emulsified marinade. Add marinade to mushrooms; marinate for at least fifteen minutes and up to an hour. Process gills and stems in the unwashed food processor bowl and turn into a medium saucepan; set aside.
  • Adjust oven rack to upper position—about 6 inches from the heating element—and turn oven to broil. Let broiler heat for 10 minutes.
  • When ready to broil, place mushrooms, tops side up, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and pour excess marinade into the saucepan.
  • Broil mushrooms until impressively brown on one side, about 8 minutes. Turn mushrooms over and carefully pour excess mushroom juice into saucepan. Continue to broil mushrooms until they are cooked through, about 5 minutes longer.
  • Meanwhile, cook the processed gills and stems in the saucepan until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 5minutes. Add wine; simmer until reduced by half, a few minutes longer. Add 1cup of the mushroom broth and the marinade; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and continue to simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. (Mushrooms and gravy can be covered and refrigerated overnight.)

Make Mushroom Paté (refrigerate until ready to use)

  • Following recipe instructions, make Mushroom Paté; refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be covered and refrigerated for at least a week)

Make Wellingtons & Finish Gravy

  • When ready to bake, adjust oven rack to lower- middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll puff pastry sheet (or sheets) so that you are able to cut eight 6-by 6-inch squares (see headnote for detailed instructions).
  • Working one pastry square at a time, brush an egg wash border on all sides. Set a portobello mushroom, top side down, in the center. Fill cap with a portion of the Mushroom Paté, followed by a portion of Caramelized Onions. Fold in each pastry corner to former a packet, sealing the seams, to form a pastry packet. Set, seam side down, on a large oil-coated rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining puff pastry, mushrooms, paté, and caramelized onions. Brush pastry packets with egg wash, and then light score to pastry for a decorative look. Bake until pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
  • While Wellingtons bake, bring mushroom gravy to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup of mushroom broth and stir into simmering liquid. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened. (If you prefer a thicker gravy, increase cornstarch to 1 tablespoon.)
  • Serve immediately with gravy ladled over Carrot-Potato Mash with Scallions, and extra gravy passed separately.