Incredible Vegan Wellington

Chop: In the meantime, add the sunflower seeds to a food processor with an S-blade attachment. Process until they resemble a coarse meal, then set aside with the shredded tofu. Add the onion and celery to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, then set aside in a separate bowl. Finally, add the soaked mushrooms to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped; set these aside with the sunflower seeds. You can also opt to finely chop everything by hand, but I prefer to save time with the food processor.

Prep: Preheat the oven to 415F and set a lined baking sheet aside. Remove one sheet of puff pastry from the freezer and set out to let thaw slightly. (Note: do not let the puff pastry cool for more than 30 minutes, or it will become too soft and sticky. I recommend taking it out of the freezer right after you deglaze the pan in step 7)

Sauté: Warm the olive oil in a large pot or sauté pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the onion and celery; sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and completely translucent.

Aromatics: Add the tomato paste to the pot along with the garlic, thyme, paprika, and black pepper. Sauté for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all of the moisture is gone from the pan and browned bits start to stick to the bottom.

Deglaze: Add the wine, tamari or soy sauce, and dark soy (if using) to a small bowl and set aside. Add the shredded tofu, mushrooms, and sunflower seeds to the pot and mix well until combined with the veggie mix. Deglaze the veggie mixture with the red wine and soy sauce mixture. Mix to combine, then sauté for a final 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, to combine all flavors and eliminate any extra moisture.

Thicken: Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the ground flax and nutritional yeast over the mixture. Mix well, then let sit for 10 minutes to cool slightly and to let the flax thicken the filling.

Prepare Puff Pastry: Dust a large cutting board with flour and place the thawed puff pastry sheet on top. Dust the pastry with flour lightly, then use a rolling pin to roll it until it forms a 12 x 14” rectangle. If using a lattice cutter, run it over the pastry now (if scoring with a knife, wait until the next step)

Wrap: Spoon the wellington filling into the center of the dough, then use clean hands to form it into a log that is 4-5” wide and 10” long, leaving about 1” of pastry on the top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom of the puff pastry over the ends of the wellington, then wrap the left and right sides towards the center to seal it completely. Carefully flip the wellington onto the prepared baking sheet so the overlapped pastry is now on the bottom. Use a sharp knife to score a pattern into the wellington and allow air to escape - horizontal lines or a cross hatch pattern work great!

Chill: Place the wellington and baking sheet in the fridge (or even better, freezer) and let it cool for 10 minutes, to allow the pastry to firm up slightly

Bake: Remove the baking tray from the fridge and brush the top of the pastry with olive oil or melted butter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden.

Serve & Store: Let the wellington sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with mushroom gravy, or as desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftovers can also be pre-sliced and frozen for up to 2 months; I recommend reheating in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer for the best texture.