Spiced Squash, Feta and Beetroot Wellington

4.60 (5)
⏱ 140 mins 🍽 Serves 8 ✅ More effort 🏷 Main course

This impressive vegetarian wellington makes a spectacular main dish. Roasted butternut squash and shallots are spiced and combined with pecans and cranberries, then layered with a beetroot and feta paste. Everything is wrapped in all-butter puff pastry and baked until golden. It's an ideal showstopper for a special occasion dinner, serving eight people.

Spiced Squash, Feta and Beetroot Wellington

Ingredients

  • 1 large butternut squash (about 1kg), peeled and trimmed (see tip below)
  • 10 sage leaves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 1/2 tsp ground mace
  • 4 large shallots thickly sliced
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 75g pecans roughly chopped
  • 25g dried cranberries roughly chopped
  • 400g cooked beetroot roughly chopped
  • 200g feta crumbled
  • 500g all-butter puff pastry
  • plain flour for dusting
  • 1 egg beaten, to glaze
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 25g butter

Method

  1. Set your oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Halve the squash lengthways and remove the seeds, setting them aside. Hollow out a channel roughly 2cm deep from each half. Chop the scooped squash and combine with the seeds. Finely chop five sage leaves. Mix the oil, chopped sage, mixed spice, mace and seasoning in a large roasting tin. Add the seeds, chopped squash, squash halves and shallots, tossing to coat. Roast for 30 mins until caramelised. Pour in the maple syrup and vinegar, add the pecans and roast for 15 mins more. Mix in the cranberries, then cool. Season and set aside. This can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.
  2. Place the beetroot and feta into a food processor. Blend to a thick, smooth paste, adding a little water if necessary. Season with black pepper and chill. This can also be made a day ahead and kept chilled.
  3. Remove roughly one third of the pastry. On a floured surface, roll it to an oval measuring about 25 x 16cm, ensuring it fits the squash. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread a third of the beetroot mixture over the pastry, leaving a border. Pack the roasted squash and shallot mixture firmly into the cavities of the squash halves. Sandwich the halves together and position on the pastry. Cover the top and sides of the squash completely with the remaining beetroot paste. Brush the exposed pastry edges with beaten egg.
  4. Roll the remaining pastry into a larger oval, approximately 40 x 30cm. Drape it carefully over the beetroot-covered squash. Press the edges lightly to seal, working from one end to the other. Trim any excess pastry and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Use trimmings to cut decorative shapes if desired. Brush the entire wellington with beaten egg, add decorations and brush again. Scatter with nigella seeds and a pinch of sea salt flakes.
  5. Chill the wellington, uncovered, for at least 30 mins or for up to 2 hrs. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 with a baking tray inside. Carefully transfer the wellington onto the hot tray. Bake for 40-45 mins until deeply golden. Allow it to rest for 10 mins. For freezing, freeze uncovered until solid, then wrap in cling film and foil. It will keep frozen for two months.
  6. As the wellington rests, melt the butter in a pan. When it foams, add the last five sage leaves and fry for 30 seconds to 1 min per side until crisp. Arrange the leaves on the wellington and drizzle over the melted butter. Slice thickly to serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories519 kcal
Fat34 g
Saturates14 g
Carbs38 g
Sugars14 g
Fibre6 g
Protein12 g
Sodium520 mg
Salt1 g

Recipe details

Skill levelMore effort
CategoryMain course
DietVegetarian