Vegan Holiday Roast

Make your festive dinner complete with this Vegan Holiday Roast. It's filled with savory stuffing and finished with a mouth-watering glaze.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Vegan

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 43

Resting Time 30

Total Time 2 33

Servings people

Calories 202kcal

Author Melissa Huggins

Equipment

Food Processor
Large Baking Dish
Large Skillet
Large Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil , divided
1 medium onion (about 1 cup)
16 ounces white mushrooms , chopped (see note #1)
5 cloves garlic , minced
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce , low sodium
½ cup water
½ cup cannellini beans , rinsed and drained (or any white beans)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon - no chicken base (see note #2)
1 ½ tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (see note #3)
1 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
1 ½ teaspoons granulated onion
1 ½ teaspoons dried rosemary
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper (sub black pepper)
280 grams vital wheat gluten (2 ¼ cups) *see note #4 & #5

Glaze (optional)

1 tablespoon soy sauce , low sodium
1 tablespoon avocado oil or any oil
1 tablespoon light brown sugar (sub maple or agave)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C).
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent about 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté until fragrant about 30-60 seconds.
Now add the mushrooms and cook for 10-12 minutes until they have released their water, have reduced in size, are lightly golden and the pan is dry. Stir only occasionally so they have time to brown.
Pour in the soy sauce and stir into the mushrooms. Cook for 30-60 seconds, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Measure out 2 exact cups of mixture (you may have a few tablespoons left over, just save for another recipe or add to toast).
To a food processor, add the 2 cups of mushroom/onion mixture, the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, water, beans, nutritional yeast, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, granulated garlic, granulated onion, rosemary, thyme, sage, smoked paprika, and pepper. Process for 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed until everything is broken down and combined. It won't be completely smooth.
To a large mixing bowl, add the vital wheat gluten and the mixture from the food processor, scraping everything out with a spatula. Stir until it just starts to come together (about 30-60 seconds). Now, using your hands, continue to combine while sweeping up all the vital wheat gluten in the bowl (30-60 seconds). Now knead the dough for 5 minutes (no less). The dough should be thick, slightly elastic, and somewhat fibrous looking. (* if your bowl is large enough, you can knead the dough in there, otherwise, knead on a clean flat surface).
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes then knead for 30-60 seconds and shape the dough into a loaf shape about 8 inches long and 3.5" inches wide. Roll the loaf in a piece of parchment paper, then roll in a piece of foil that's about 20" long, and twist the ends like a candy wrapper, securing in place.
Bake for 80 minutes, flipping halfway through. Now remove from oven and allow the roast to sit undisturbed for 20 minutes (no less). Remove from foil and parchment. You can slice and serve now OR prepare the loaf for glazing (next step).
Preheat your oven broiler to the low setting. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, and soy sauce until the sugar has dissolved. Now, place the loaf back in the roasting pan and brush the top and sides with the glaze. Broil for 2-3 minutes until you see the glaze start to caramelize. Now brush one more layer on the top and sides and broil for another 2-3 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. (*if your broiler doesn't have a low setting, use the high setting and reduce the time. Watch very carefully).

Notes

It's best to dry-brush the mushrooms instead of rinsing them. They absorb a lot of water and this can make it difficult to brown them.
If you can't find Better Than Bouillon - no chicken base, you can use their no beef broth. This will darken the loaf slightly and the flavor will vary but it will still be delicious. You can also use their regular broth if that's all you can find.
If you can't find vegan Worcestershire sauce, you can use barbeque sauce or vegan steak sauce. You can also use a combination of 2 teaspoons of ketchup, 1.5 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce.
Vital Wheat Gluten - this is essential for the recipe and cannot be substituted with anything else.
Measuring Vital Wheat Gluten - For an accurate measurement, you can weigh the VWG to get exactly 280 grams. If you don't have a kitchen scale, don’t scoop the VWG with a measuring cup directly from the container. Instead, aerate it first, then scoop it out of your container with a spoon and then into a measuring cup. Don’t pack or tap the cup. After filling, lightly sweep a butter knife across the top to remove the excess.
It's very important to measure all of the ingredients accurately and follow the instructions precisely or this will alter the end results.
Kneading is very important and should be done for 5 minutes. Any less and the loaf can turn out spongy. Also, if you over knead, the loaf can turn out tough and rubbery. If you feel you may have over kneaded, you can let the dough rest for 15 minutes before shaping it into a loaf
The loaf should be wrapped snugly but not super tight or it won't expand.
Glaze: this adds nice color with a slight sheen and crisps the surface slightly for a better table presentation, but it's completely optional. If you want a thick, sticky glaze, you can use a thick teriyaki sauce or barbeque sauce, or a blend of both and broil it the same way.
Serving Ideas: serve with Vegan Gravy, Sautéed Green Beans, and Cranberry Sauce or with all the traditional holiday sides.

Nutrition