Vegan chestnut wreath recipe
Looking for an easy way to wow your vegan and veggie dinner guests this Christmas? Ready in just over an hour, this gorgeous plant-based main is absolutely perfect.
Made with a wonderfully hearty blend of chestnuts, walnuts, mushrooms and butternut squash, this stunning dish is filled with the festive flavours of sage and thyme, and comes scattered with herbs, cranberries and orange zest for a fancy flourish.
There's no special equipment required to put it together; all you'll need is a bundt tin. Plus, it couldn't be simpler to make – just cook the ingredients in a pan on the hob, transfer the mixture to the bundt tin, then bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until gloriously crispy on top.
The perfect balance of umami and sweet flavours, it's sure to go down a treat with everyone at the Christmas dinner table (whether they're vegan or not).
Note:
You will need a bundt tin to make this dish.
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select 'Cups'.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 250 g mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 180 g Whole cooked chestnuts (we like Merchant Gourmet), roughly chopped
- 120 g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 30 g pumpkin seeds
- 75 g dried cranberries
- 80 g breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped (including the stalks)
- 8 sage leaves, finely chopped, plus 4-5 leaves to garnish
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 handful cranberries, to garnish
Details
- Cuisine: Festive
- Recipe Type: Vegan
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 50 mins
- Serves: 10
Step-by-step
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, until softened, adding the garlic for the last 2 minutes.
- Add the butternut squash to the pan and continue frying on a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, again stirring regularly. Gently mash the squash with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Stir in the chestnuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, mustard, chopped thyme and sage, season well with salt and pepper and mix everything together.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Tip the mixture into a greased bundt tin, pushing it down firmly into the tin. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden and crisp on top.
- Allow the wreath to cool briefly, then tip out onto a plate. Fry the reserved sage leaves and rosemary sprigs in 1 tbsp oil until crispy. Use to garnish the wreath, along with the orange zest and cranberries.
Adapted from a recipe supplied by Merchant Gourmet. Image courtesy Merchant Gourmet.
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