A Perfect Holiday Vegetarian Entree! |
I woke up (relatively) early this morning and got to work prepping. In addition to the Veggie Wellington, I whipped up a butternut squash lasagna (I'll post that recipe soon, too, so keep your eyes peeled), a string bean casserole, and rosemary mashed potatoes for our vegetarian Thanksgiving feast. I also made a mushroom gravy and served some of my Maple Ginger Cranberry Sauce. Needless to say, there are LOTS of leftovers!
Chopped Veggies Ready to be Seasoned and Roasted |
Roasted Fall Veggies (feel free to sample!) |
1/2 a butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
6 Brussels sprouts, halved
1 blue potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
12 baby carrots, halved
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Throw all the veggies in a large pan. Sprinkle with some freshly ground black pepper, a few teaspoon of fresh minced herbs (I used rosemary and thyme), and a pinch of kosher salt. Coat with a couple tb of the oil of your choice (I used olive oil, which isn't ideal for roasting, but works if you don't have any high-heat oils available).
Throw all the veggies in a large pan. Sprinkle with some freshly ground black pepper, a few teaspoon of fresh minced herbs (I used rosemary and thyme), and a pinch of kosher salt. Coat with a couple tb of the oil of your choice (I used olive oil, which isn't ideal for roasting, but works if you don't have any high-heat oils available).
Pesto Coated Roasted Veggies. MMMM. |
The pesto:
I usually use the recipe from my VitaMix cookbook:
1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c Grated Parmesan Cheese
3 medium Garlic Cloves, peeled
2 c fresh basil leaves
3 tb toasted pine nuts
Salt & Pepper to taste
Sometimes, I leave out the cheese and add walnuts. Sometimes, I throw a bunch of parsley in with the basil. You don't need a high-powered blender to make pesto. Any food processor will do the trick!
Remove the puff pastry from the freezer to allow to defrost for 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to put it too close to the oven (heat makes it puff!). Preaheat the oven to 400.
While the puff pastry is defrosting, dollop a few heaping tablespoons of pesto atop the roasted veggies. Add a couple tablespoons of goat cheese (crumble it off the log). Stir to combine, coating the veggies in pesto and mixing the goat cheese throughout. Go ahead. Sneak a pesto-coated potato. Nobody will know the difference. You deserve it. :-)
Roll the Puff Pastry to Your Preferred Thickness. The Thicker, the Doughier. |
Spoon the Roasted Veggies onto the Center of the Dough. |
Don't be Shy About Pulling/Stretching the Dough; Just Don't be TOO Rough. |
Pull the Edges of the Dough Together and Pinch to form Pouch. |
Flip the Pouch Over so Seam is Bottom-Side-Down. |
Brush with a Beaten Egg for a Golden Finish. |
Out of the Oven. Into our Tummies. We Ate the Small One. Who Wants Leftovers? |
Way More Food Than Necessary for our Small Thanksgiving Celebration. |
QUESTION: What's the most creative vegetarian holiday entree you've ever prepared or enjoyed? I'm already starting to think about next year's Thanksgiving and need ideas!
I love this idea! I'm not a vegetarian, but I can always appreciate a flavorful meat-free dish. These wellingtons and the lasagna both sound like they were pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sorry it's taken me forever to get back to you... but we should definitely try to meet up some time!