Rainbow Lentil Wreath with a Fruit Topping
This stunning rainbow-coloured vegan lentil wreath is an absolute showstopper with its beautiful design and fantastic flavours. Packed with protein from the lentils, it’s a symphony of flavours with aromatic herbs, creamy chestnuts and a medley of vegetables coming together to form something truly special. To make it extra special, it’s topped with dried fruit and cherries to give it a delightfully chewy texture.
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Total Time: 2 hours
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6
Rating:
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 6)
- For the fruit topping:
- 25 25 g mixed dried fruit, such as cranberries, currants, sultanas and apricots
- 0.66666666666667 0.66666666666667 maraschino cherries, chopped
- For the lentil wreath:
- 0.5 0.5 Tbsp ground flax or chia seeds
- 0.16666666666667 0.16666666666667 large brown onion, chopped
- 0.33333333333333 0.33333333333333 large carrots, diced
- 75 75 g mushrooms, chopped
- 0.16666666666667 0.16666666666667 red pepper (capsicum), diced
- 0.66666666666667 0.66666666666667 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or to taste)
- 0.83333333333333 0.83333333333333 sage leaves, finely chopped
- 0.33333333333333 0.33333333333333 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
- 0.33333333333333 0.33333333333333 tsp dried thyme or Italian herb mix
- 0.33333333333333 0.33333333333333 x 420g tins of brown lentils, drained (or about 3½ cups of cooked lentils)
- 33.333333333333 33.333333333333 g chestnuts, cooked
- 18.333333333333 18.333333333333 g rolled oats or quick oats
- 10 10 g tomato purée (paste)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Method
- Add the dried fruit to a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak until plump.
- Line the base of a large ring cake pan with baking paper and brush the sides with olive oil. If you don’t have a ring cake pan, you can use a 25cm (10in) cake pan and place a small round ramekin in the middle.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax/chia seeds with 120g (½ cup) of water. Set aside to thicken.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the mushrooms, pepper, garlic and all of the fresh and dried herbs. Cook until the mushrooms and veg have softened. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
- If you’re using rolled oats, pulse them in a food processor until they’re broken down and are similar in consistency to quick oats.
- Add the flax mixture, cooked veg, lentils, oats, chestnuts, tomato purée and flax seed mixture to a food processor. Process for 30-60 seconds, or until the mixture sticks together. Make sure you leave some chunks for texture. Taste and season the mixture with salt, pepper and extra herbs, as desired.
- Drain the dried fruit and mix it with the cherries. Arrange the fruit on the bottom of the cake pan. Spoon the lentil mixture on top and press down firmly. The wreath should be very compact.
- Bake the wreath for 50-60 minutes or until the top is crispy and it’s slightly firm to the touch. If the wreath browns too quickly, cover the cake pan with aluminium foil or a light baking tray.
- 1Allow the wreath to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. Run a spatula along the sides to release the wreath. Place a serving plate on top of the cake pan and invert the pan to remove the wreath.
- If desired, brush the wreath with jam and top it with vegetable crisps and fried sage.
TIP
To make this wreath in advance, assemble the wreath in the cake pan and refrigerate it until needed. You can bake the wreath straight from the fridge, but it may take 10 minutes more as the wreath will be cold.
Calories (per serving) 346 | Total fat 5.4g Saturates 0.7g | Salt 0.13g | Sugar 8.1g Carbohydrates 63.7g | Protein 13.1g
Hungry for more? Check out these impressive vegan roasts.
