A deliciously rich Mushroom Wellington with chestnuts, spinach, caramelised red onions, and crispy puff pastry. This is perfect for a festive dinner or as a showstopper for a vegetarian Christmas dinner. Packed with flavour and easy to make, your guests will love this!
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Whether you're having a Vegetarian Christmas or you have veggie friends visiting over the Christmas period, this Mushroom Wellington has you covered. It's rich and filling, packed with flavour and so easy to make!
A delicious filling of sautéed garlic and tarragon mushrooms, with caramelised red onions, chestnuts and spinach. All enclosed in a crispy golden puff pastry! This is such a tasty dish, even meat-eaters will love this!
But first, what is a Beef Wellington?
Beef Wellington is an indulgent dish of beef, usually fillet, covered in a mixture of mushrooms, herbs and sometimes foie gras, baked in pastry. The origins of beef wellington are sketchy, from the French speciality filet de bœuf en croûte to the Duke of Wellington. With some believing it to be a 20th-century dish. However, what is clear is that it is very much a celebratory, showstopper dish.
What Goes in a Vegetarian Wellington?
- Mushrooms - I tend to choose chestnut/brown mushrooms for this, but you can use a mixture of wild mushrooms with the chestnuts.
- Red Onions - These are perfect for caramelising, which brings a lovely sweetness to this dish.
- Spinach - Baby spinach is best for this. I use fresh spinach, but you could use frozen, too, if you prefer.
- Chestnuts - These add a lovely festive flavour to this mushroom wellington with the added bonus of bulking up the filling too. Store-bought, ready-cooked is perfect.
- Tarragon - this versatile herb has an intense flavour, so a little goes a long way. It has a unique taste of sweet aniseed and mild vanilla. If you can't find tarragon, then fennel seeds may work instead. Fresh tarragon is best for this recipe.
- Pastry - Puff pastry works best here. I always use a store-bought, pre-rolled pastry.
How to Make Mushroom Wellington
- Start by caramelising the onions, heat the oil in a pan, add the onions with a little salt, then cook until the onions are soft, at least 15 minutes. Then add the balsamic vinegar and stir well. Leave the onions to cool in a large bowl.
- Next, sauté the mushrooms. Heat the butter in a pan and cook the mushrooms until they have released all their juices. Now, add the garlic and tarragon and cook for a minute or two. Finally, turn up the heat a bit and add the red wine, cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Finally, crumble in the chestnuts and mix well. Transfer to the bowl with the red onions.
- Cook the spinach. Heat a little oil in a pan and cook the spinach until wilted. Then chop it finely.
- Combine the filling. Add the spinach to the bowl along with the mushrooms and red onions. Add a couple of tablespoons of fine breadcrumbs, a generous seasoning of salt and pepper and mix well.
- Make the wellington. Roll out the pastry, then spread the mushroom mixture along the centre of the pastry. Fold over one side, brush with egg wash, then fold over the other side. Fold up the ends, then carefully turn the wellington over.
- Finishing touches. Using a very sharp knife, score the pastry into diamonds, then brush with egg wash. Bake until golden brown.
Top Tips for Making the Best Mushroom Wellington
- Cook the red onions until they are really soft, the longer the better, but if you are short on time, 15 minutes will work. Keep an eye on them, stir them often and don't let them burn.
- Wipe or dry-brush the mushrooms clean; mushrooms take in every drop of liquid, so you don't want soggy mushrooms.
- Do yourself a favour and buy the pre-cooked chestnuts. I roasted chestnuts once and once only!
- The same goes for the puff pastry; store-bought is totally acceptable. Go for a pre-rolled all-butter puff pastry. This will save you so much time.
- Leave the filling to cool before you place it on the pastry. A warm filling will heat up the pastry, make it soft, and very hard to work with.
- Make sure your pastry is at room temperature, and make sure your hands are cold. All this will help with handling the pastry.
- If you want a golden pastry, don't skip the egg wash. Be generous with it and brush the sides as well as the top.
- Leave the wellington to cool slightly before removing it from the baking sheet. It will be easier to lift off once it has cooled a little.
How to Serve Mushroom Wellington
If we're having this for Christmas dinner, then I will serve this with all the trimmings, roast potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnips, Brussel sprouts, gravy and cranberry sauce. If we have this for Sunday lunch, I will serve it with creamy mashed potatoes and broccoli.
FAQs
Yes! This is great for making ahead of time. You can make the filling a day or two in advance; just keep it covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. You can make the entire dish a day ahead, just don't egg wash it. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. Remember to egg wash it before you bake it.
Yes, you can. Freeze the completed dish before you bake it. Bake it from frozen, but please note it may take longer to cook, and there may be some difference in the consistency of the filling.
Yes, although this is really best eaten fresh from the oven. You can keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to two days. I had the best results by placing the pie in a dish, covering it with foil and heating it for about 30 minutes until the filling is piping hot. I remove the foil about 10 minutes before the end of reheating so that the pastry doesn't get soggy.
Mushroom Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion (150g) peeled, cut in half lengthways and sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon sea salt divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 280 g chestnut/brown mushrooms (approx 4 cups) wiped clean then sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon
- 1 tablespoon red wine optional
- 100 g cooked chestnuts (approx ¾ cup)
- 100 g baby spinach ( approx 3 ⅓ cups)
- 3 tablespoon fine breadcrumbs
- 1 x 320g sheet of puff pastry
- 1 medium egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C/ 374F.Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt and cook over medium heat until soft. At least 15 minutes. 20 - 25 minutes if you have more time.Once soft add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and stir well until the liquid evaporates.Remove to a large mixing bowl and leave to cool.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large sauté pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft and they have released their juices. Add 4 minced cloves of garlic and 1 tablespoon of chopped tarragon. Stir well and cook for a minute or two.Turn up the heat then add 1 tablespoon of red wine and stir well. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated.Crumble the chestnuts into the pan and mix well. Remove this mixture to the mixing bowl with the red onions and leave to cool.
- Heat ½ a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, add the spinach and cook until wilted.Drain and squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as you can. Transfer to a chopping board then roughly chop.Add the chopped spinach to the mixing bowl with the mushrooms.
- Add 3 tablespoons of fine breadcrumbs along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper to the mixing bowl. Mix everything together well.
- Roll out the puff pastry.Add the mushroom filling along the centre of the pastry and using clean hands shape into a sausage shape.Turn one side of the pastry over the mushroom mixture, brush the egg wash then turn the other side over. Use a fork to seal the pastry. Fold up the ends of the wellington and again use a fork to see them.Carefully turn the welling over so the seal is on the bottom. Using a very sharp knife score diamonds in your pastry. Start by scoring diagonal line in one direction along the whole wellington then repeat in the opposite direction.Brush the whole wellington in egg wash, remembering to do the sides too.Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the pastry is completely cooked.Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before transferring to a serving dish or board.
Notes
- Pastry - I use a store-bought, ready-rolled puff pastry. All butter puff pastry is great but regular puff pastry works well too.
- Mushrooms - Chestnut or brown mushrooms are my choice of mushrooms for this recipe. However, you can add wild mushrooms here too, just ensure the quantities are the same weight listed in the recipe.
- Chestnuts - I use store-bought pre-cooked chestnuts. If you have a nut allergy you could swap the chestnuts for pre-cooked puy lentils.
- Tarragon - I use fresh tarragon for this dish, if you can't find it then fennel seeds would be a good alternative. Or you could also make this with rosemary and thyme.
- Can I make this vegan? Yes, this is really easy to make vegan. Swap the butter for vegan butter or use olive oil. Swap the puff pastry for a vegan puff pastry and use plant milk instead of egg for the wash.
- Can I make this gluten-free? Yes, use a gluten-free puff pastry and make use gluten-free bread for the breadcrumbs.
- Can I freeze this? Yes, make it until the baking stage then freeze. Cook from frozen. You will need to cook it for longer than the recipe indicates though.
- Nutrition - Nutritional information is approximate and is calculated using an online nutrition tool. It is based on one serving.
Nutrition
More Festive Recipes:
- Nut Roast en Croûte
- Stuffed Squash with Wild Rice
- Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
- Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Tart
Have you made this Mushroom Wellington Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!
Cathy
I got everything ready, prepared the bread crumbs, set it aside while everything was cooling, then proceeded to finish the product, only to realize I forgot to add the breadcrumbs.
I guess I have to start all over again? ☹️
Michelle Alston
Oh no, Cathy! I do stuff like this all the time too! You know I would have just cooked it without the breadcrumbs, not to waste all your hard work Xx
Eve
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for posting this. I have a few questions. Can I substitute kale for spinach? For the puff pastry do you use Dufour puff pastry? I'm hoping I can find the chestnuts but do you have a substitute for that as well? This Christmas will be the first Christmas Dinner I will be cooking and I want this as our vegetarian main dish! I'm so excited to try it!
Michelle Alston
Hi Eve, I have only made this using spinach so would recommend using spinach if you can. Kale has a stronger flavour so it might overpower the dish. But if you can't find spinach you could substitute kale. I would reduce the amount slightly and make sure to remove any woody stems, it may take longer to wilt also. I use Jus Rol pastry sheets for this, I think they may not be available in the US. I'm not sure where you are based. I had a look at Dufour pastry if you can get the all-butter sheets it looks like they measure in at 11” x 16” which should work fine. My pastry measured in at 350mm x 230mm (14" x 9"). I have only made this using chestnuts but I think walnuts would be a good substitute if you can't find chestnuts. I hope this helps, I'm happy to answer any other questions if you have them. Good luck with your first Christmas dinner, I hope it turns out well for you and you enjoy it. Michelle x
Eve
Thanks Michelle for your prompt response! This is so helpful! Ill let you know how it goes in a few days!
Michelle Alston
You're so welcome Eve, I'll look forward to hearing how you get on. Have a lovely Christmas Xx
Be
This looks great. I have never used chestnuts before. Are the one from a can ok to use?
Michelle Alston
Hi Be, yes you can use chestnuts from a can just make sure they are not sweet. They should be cooked chestnuts, either vacuum packed or in water. I hope this helps. Mx
Ann Hillerton
Great recipe, really easy to follow, & it turned out beautifully.
Michelle Alston
Hi Ann, this is so lovely to hear! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Maria Caldwell
i have just made your mushroom wellington. My whole family {including the meat eaters} totally loved it!!!!!! Big Thank You
Michelle Alston
Hi Maria, oh wow, that is so lovely to hear! I'm so glad you all loved it! Mx
Pia
This looks so yum! Would your recommendation be to cook it before freezing it, or freeze the wellington uncooked? Thanks 🙂
Michelle Alston
Hi Pia, I would make the wellington and freeze it before you cook it. I would omit the egg wash and do that just before you cook it. Just be careful that the puff pastry you use has not been frozen already. If you plan on freezing it I would buy chilled pastry that is suitable for freezing. I would then cook it from frozen. It may take slightly longer to cook than listed in the recipe. I hope this helps, Mx
Cat
This was a spectacular centerpiece for Thanksgiving this year, since I had no interest in cooking a turkey for just the two of us. And to top it off, our 18 year old son even raved about the leftovers when he got back from work. I'm definitely keeping the recipe on hand for special occasions.
Also, all the tips were much appreciated! Thank you much.
P.S.
One caveat though, check the size of your store bought puff pastry, as I incorrectly assumed that they were all the same size, and ended up with a sheet that was too small for all of the filling.
Michelle Alston
Hi Cat, I'm so glad you all enjoyed this for your Thanksgiving dinner. I'm so sorry that I didn't mention the size of the pastry. Here in the UK our pre-rolled puff pastry comes in one size which is 1 rectangular sheet measuring approximately 350mm x 230mm (14in x 9in) This recipe is due for an update soon so I will include more options for my US readers. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention and I'm so thrilled you picked one of my recipes for your Thanksgiving dinner. Best wishes, Michelle
Amalia
Hi there! I really want to make this recipe for Christmas but would like to have cheese in aswell. What type would you recommend for this recipe and where could I add it in? Thanks !
Michelle Alston
Hi Amalia, I haven't made this with cheese. But, if you wanted to add cheese I would recommend switching the tarragon for fresh thyme, you would need 5 or 6 sprigs of fresh thyme. I would add either goat's cheese or blue cheese, feta may also work. I would leave the mushroom and chestnut filling to cool then mix in the cheese before wrapping it in pastry. I would also cut the cheese into chunks rather than crumbling it into the mixture. Finally, I would definitely give this a test run before Christmas, just to make sure it works and you're not disappointed on Chrismas day. I hope this helps, I'd love to know how it works for you so do let me know how you get on. Michelle x
Tom
Hi,
Do you have any vegan and gluten recipe for pastry puff?
Michelle Alston
Hi Tom, I'm sorry I don't have a recipe for vegan and gluten-free puff pastry. I had a quick look to see if I could find one for you and unfortunately I didn't have any luck!
Kwyn
Excellent recipe ,the only addition I make is a little sugar when cooking onions and a few cloves of garlic with the mushrooms ,,this recipe never fails me
Brenda
This was so delicious. I made the filling a day ahead so it gave it time for all of the flavors to meld together.
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Brenda, I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
Oh wow! This mushroom wellington looks amazing. I try to pick more vegetarian dishes so this is perfect for me! And it would also be excellent to serve at vegetarian Christmas! Can't wait to try it.
Tami Price
This recipe was the hit of my dinner party! All my guests went on and on about how delicious is it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Michelle Alston
Yay! I'm so happy everyone loved it Tami!
David
I love this idea for a vegetarian holiday meal! My father loves beef Wellington, wonder if I could get him to go for this instead...
Michelle Alston
Thanks David. I hope your Father enjoys it 🙂
jack
This recipe is a great vegetarian alternative to a beef wellington! I will definitely be making this next week 🙂
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Jack, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Heidy L. McCallum
This mushroom wellington was fab! My dinner guests all loved it and requested the recipe! I felt like a star last night they raved so much about how wonderful your recipe was.
Michelle Alston
That's so lovely to hear Heidy, thank you! I'm glad it was a success for you x
Mirlene
What a fabulous dish. THIS recipe satisfy both the meat lovers and veggie lovers. Perfect for the holidays too.
Michelle Alston
Thanks Mirlene, it's definitely one for the holidays 🙂
Adrianne
Yum, this mushroom wellington looks fabulous. I love the easy to follow steps along the way so I can create. Mushies are my favourite vegetable, so yum and yummmmmm!!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Adrianne, mushrooms are definitely my favourite too! 🙂