Vegetables Wellington

Kitchen Kozy's Note:

Vegetarian Times Chef's Challenge 2008 -- Best Entree -- This is delicious, but the recipe makes waaaay too much filling. They tell you to make 8 rectangles and put 2 Tbsp of filling in each one, which means you only need 16 Tbsp = 1 cup of filling. Clearly just a pound of asparagus alone makes more than 1 cup. So... either reduce the filling or plan on having extra for a side dish another night! Other veggies that are yummy in the filling are zucchini, yellow summer squash and sun dried tomatoes (in oil, drained). I also found it more convenient to make 6 larger rectangles than 8, which would have been awkwardly shaped, in my opinion. And we skipped the tomato sauce as well.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 tablespoon olive oil , divided
• 1 teaspoon olive oil , divided
• 1 lb asparagus , cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 medium red bell peppers , cut into thin strips
• 1 medium onion , thinly sliced
• 1 (5 ounce) package baby spinach leaves
• 10 ounces log goat cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) package prepared pesto sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 (17 1⁄3; ounce) package frozen puff pastry , thawed
• 1 (16 ounce) jar prepared tomato sauce

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 425°F.
2. coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Saute asparagus, bell peppers, and onion 5-10 minutes, until they begin to soften.
4. Add spinach, remove from heat and stir until the spinach wilts. Cool.
5. Combine goat cheese and pesto in a small bowl.
6. beat egg with 2 tsp water in another small bowl.
7. Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry onto floured work surface. Cut into 8 rectangles. brush edges of each rectangle with egg. Place 2 Tsp of vegetables into center of each rectangle, and top with pesto-cheese mixture.
8. Cut 2nd puff pastry sheet into 8 rectangles and stretch to cover each vegetable- and cheese-covered rectangle. Seal tightly with fork or fingers.
9. Place on prepared baking sheet and brush tops with beaten egg. Chill 10 minutes.
10. Bake 25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Meanwhile heat tomato sauce in saucepan.
11. To serve, spoon 1/4 cup tomato sauce onto plate, and top with Vegetable Wellington.

Reviews

[danakscully64]

You hit the nail on the head in your description. I always got extra filling as well and it's much easier to make larger squares with the puff pastry. Besides that, this is, by far, one of my favorite recipes of all time. I made a few changes. I don't weigh the asparagus, just eyeball the amount I use. I omit the bell peppers completely (yuck). I've also never used 10 ounces of goat cheese, 1 4-oz package is enough (too pricey anyway, adds to the "too much filling" issue). Egg is optional, I just use water to seal the pastry and a spray bottle to mist the top. Spaghetti sauce makes a better dip, has a little more flavor. This recipe never gets old.