Gordon Ramsay’s vegetarian wellington recipe fills puff pastry with mushrooms, mashed parsnip, hazelnuts and taleggio cheese, wrapped in blanched Savoy cabbage leaves and a savoury crepe, then bakes at 220°C (430°F) for 30 to 35 minutes. It is a proper main course, not a side dish pretending to be one.
Ramsay doesn’t include this in any of his cookbooks, but his restaurant team publishes two vegetarian wellingtons on gordonramsayrestaurants.com: a vegetarian version with taleggio and parsnip, and a fully vegan beet wellington that replaces the pastry glaze with chickpea water. On MasterChef Season 12 he said “after all these years, I can finally admit that I actually love vegan food” before demonstrating the beet version to the contestants.
The biggest difference from the beef wellington isn’t the filling, it’s what replaces the Parma ham. In the beef version, ham acts as the moisture barrier between the filling and the pastry. Here, blanched Savoy cabbage leaves do the same job. They’re sturdy enough to hold the filling together and flexible enough to wrap tightly without tearing.
Gordon Ramsay Vegetarian Wellington
Course: MainCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Intermediate4
30
minutes35
minutes420
kcal1 hr 5 min
(plus chilling)Intermediate
Ramsay’s vegetarian wellington from gordonramsayrestaurants.com, filled with mushroom, parsnip, hazelnuts and taleggio, wrapped in Savoy cabbage and a savoury crepe inside puff pastry.
Ingredients
- For the filling:
200g mushrooms, diced
100g parsnips, peeled and chopped
20g hazelnuts, crushed
30g panko breadcrumbs
40g taleggio cheese
5g fresh tarragon, chopped
5g fresh parsley, chopped
½ egg, beaten
2 Savoy cabbage leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp vegetable oil
- For the crepe:
60g plain flour
1 egg
140ml milk
- For the pastry:
1 sheet puff pastry (roughly A4 sized)
1 egg yolk, beaten
Directions
- Cook the mushrooms: Dice and cook in a pan over medium heat with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil until all the moisture has gone. This is the same duxelles principle as the beef version: wet mushrooms mean soggy pastry.
- Mash the parsnips: Boil the chopped parsnips for about 5 minutes until soft. Drain well and mash, then mix into the cooked mushrooms.
- Build the filling: Add the crushed hazelnuts, tarragon, parsley, panko, taleggio and beaten egg to the mushroom and parsnip mixture. Blitz together in a food processor until it holds its shape but still has some texture.
- Prepare the cabbage: Blanch the Savoy cabbage leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into iced water. Pat dry. These replace the Parma ham as the moisture barrier.
- Make the crepe: Whisk the flour, egg, milk, salt and pepper until smooth. Cook in a large non-stick pan over medium heat until golden on both sides. One crepe is enough.
- Assemble: Lay the crepe flat and place the cabbage leaves on top. Spoon the filling along the centre. Roll the crepe and cabbage tightly around the filling. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.
- Wrap in pastry: Egg wash the edges and inside of the pastry sheet. Unwrap the filling and place on the pastry. Fold the pastry around it like a parcel, pressing to seal. Chill for another 20 minutes.
- Bake: Egg wash the outside, score the top with the back of a knife. Bake at 220°C (430°F/Gas 7) for 30 to 35 minutes until the pastry is deep golden. Rest for 15 minutes before carving.
FAQs
Is this wellington fully vegan?
No. The vegetarian version above has taleggio cheese, egg in the filling and egg wash on the pastry. If you need it fully vegan, Ramsay’s restaurant publishes a separate beet wellington that uses almond milk crepes, vegan puff pastry and chickpea water instead of egg wash.
That beet version is a much bigger project though: the beetroot gets poached in red wine vinegar with star anise and mustard seeds, wrapped in spinach, then rolled in a mushroom and chestnut duxelle with truffle oil. It’s restaurant-level cooking, not a weeknight dinner.
What does the beetroot wellington taste like compared to this one?
Completely different. The mushroom version above is earthy, creamy and savoury from the taleggio and hazelnuts. It feels like a rich autumn pie.
The beet version is sweeter and more complex. The poaching liquid gives the beetroot a spiced, pickled edge that cuts through the truffle-heavy duxelle. On MasterChef, Ramsay served it with a vegan jus made from roasted vegetables reduced with cornflour, which gives it the same glossy finish as the beef version’s red wine sauce.
Why does this use Savoy cabbage instead of Parma ham?
Because Parma ham is the moisture barrier in the beef wellington, and you can’t use it in a vegetarian version. The blanched Savoy cabbage leaves do the same job: sturdy enough to hold the wet filling away from the pastry, flexible enough to wrap tight, and they add a mild sweetness that works with the mushroom and parsnip.
In the beet version, blanched spinach replaces the cabbage. Same principle, different leaf. Both need to be well drained or you end up with the exact problem they’re supposed to prevent.
Can you make vegetarian wellington ahead?
Same approach as the beef version. Assemble fully, wrap in cling film and chill until you’re ready to bake. The recipe already has two chilling stages built in, so it naturally suits being prepared in the morning and baked before dinner.
You can freeze it unbaked for up to a month. Bake straight from frozen at 220°C and add 10 minutes. Don’t egg wash until just before it goes in the oven.
What do you serve alongside vegetarian wellington?
It’s rich enough to be the centrepiece on its own. A simple green salad or steamed tenderstem broccoli on the side is all you need. For the mushroom version, a drizzle of truffle oil or a spoonful of onion chutney works well.
If you’re serving it as a Christmas main for the vegetarian at the table, it sits happily next to all the same sides as the beef: roast potatoes, honey-glazed carrots, or a sharp beetroot salad to cut through the pastry richness.
