Homemade seitan (“wheat meat”) is wrapped around a savory stuffing in this elegant vegan main dish.
This is A Tale of Two Seitans.
For Thanksgiving this year, I decided to make something a little fancier than the baked tofu my husband, daughter, and I usually enjoy while our omnivorous extended family is eating turkey. The day before the big feast, I took one of my old favorite stuffings, wrapped wheat gluten around it, sealed it in foil, and baked it like “Veggeroni.”
Right out of the oven, the savory flavor of the stuffed seitan was divine. Though the texture was verging on dry, I had to chase away family members circling like ravenous wolves so that I could wrap it up for the trip to my parents’ house.
The next day, I reheated the foil-wrapped seitan in the oven alongside my green bean casserole and my mother’s cornbread dressing. And that’s where I made my mistake. I should have steamed it or microwaved it because it came out of the oven much drier than before. Doused with mushroom gravy, it was still good, but it could have been better.
Seitan Roulade First Attempt
I posted a photo of the first seitan roulade on my Facebook page and planned to share the recipe when I got back from my Thanksgiving trip. But because I wasn’t completely satisfied with how the stuffed seitan “performed” for the big meal, I decided to see if I could come up with a moister, more tender seitan that would hold up to reheating.
That’s how this second seitan roulade came to be.
In this version, I “oven-steamed” the seitan first in a little broth before uncovering and baking it. Success! The stuffed seitan was so tender that we didn’t need any gravy.
The only downside is that because it wasn’t confined by foil, the roast expanded as it cooked and lost its “rolled” design. It’s also less sturdy than the foil-baked version, so if we were planning to travel with it, we’d need to pack it much more carefully.
Overall, I prefer the final version, but if you want the roulade look, follow the variation in the recipe below. Whichever way you make it, just be careful how you reheat it. Or better yet, eat it while it’s still piping hot out of the oven.
“Savory.” That’s the best word to describe this meat-free roast, redolent with the flavors of thyme and sage and enlivened with the sweet-sour tang of dried cranberries. You won’t have any leftovers!
Seitan Stuffed with Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, and Mushrooms
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 4 ounces mushrooms sliced or chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- generous grinding of pepper
- 3 ounces whole wheat bread (about 2 slices), cut into small cubes
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds, for nut-free
- 1 teaspoon whole chia seeds or ground flax seed
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water (more as needed)
Seitan
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten (10 ounces)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1/3 cup quinoa flakes or quick oatmeal
- 1 teaspoon chia seed or ground flaxseeds
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup great northern beans cooked
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon tahini (preferred) or nut butter
Baking Broth
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil (optional)
Assembly
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Suggested Tools
Instructions
Make the stuffing:
- Sauté the onion and celery in a non-stick skillet until onion is becoming translucent. Add the mushrooms, thyme, sage, and a generous grating of black pepper and cover. Cook until mushrooms exude their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients along with enough water to moisten the stuffing but not make it soaking wet. Remove from heat and keep covered.
Make the seitan:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (vital wheat gluten through chia seeds). Place the 1 1/2 cups of broth, white beans, soy sauce, and garlic in blender and process until liquefied. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the bean mixture, and stir until gluten is completely moistened. Drizzle the tahini over the top and knead it into the dough. Keep kneading until dough holds together in a ball. Set aside while you make the broth.
Make the broth:
- Heat all ingredients until hot but not boiling. A microwave works well for this.
Assemble:
- Preheat oven to 400. Lightly oil an oval or rectangular baking dish, 11-13 inches long and 6-8 inches wide. (Your seitan will expand to fit it, so try not to use a very wide dish.)
- Line your work surface with plastic wrap, parchment paper, or waxed paper. Place the dough in the center, cover it with plastic wrap, and roll out the seitan, making sure that it is the same thickness in all places, until it's about 9x13 (an inch or so either way doesn't matter, but make sure it's not longer than your pan). Spread the stuffing evenly, leaving a 1-inch margin on all sides.
- Lift up the plastic wrap on one of the long edges and roll the seitan up like a jelly roll. (Alternatively, arrange the stuffing in a horizontal line across the middle of the seitan and bring one long edge up and over it to the other side.) Pinch the ends sealed first and then pinch well to seal the long seam. Take care to make sure that the edges are completely sealed and no gaps or stuffing shows.
- Lift the seitan roll carefully and place seam-side down in the prepared casserole dish. Pour the baking broth over it, add rosemary, and cover tightly. If the dish doesn't have a cover, use aluminum foil to cover tightly. (Did I mention "tightly?" Tightly! I enclosed even the bottom of the dish in foil.)
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, baste with broth, recover tightly, and bake for another 25 minutes. Baste again and return to oven uncovered for about 30 minutes. Baste 2 or 3 times as it's cooking. Seitan is done when top seems firm and brown and the broth has evaporated. You can test it by cutting a small slit in the middle; if it is doughy rather than firm, return to the oven.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Transfer carefully to a cutting board or serving platter and cut into 1/2-inch slices.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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vernita
I love making recipes from FFV and have shared your site with many friends both on Facebook and word of mouth. I would love to recieve the new cookbook! We will have a quiet family Christmas Eve dinner. We usually don’t do much cooking on Christmas day.
Ellen
This looks AMAZING! I would love to win a copy of your book – I actually just purchased one as a gift and can’t wait to snag my own! Thanksgiving and Christmas are my big winter holidays. My menu for Christmas consists of cinnamon rolls in the morning, and a buffet of scalloped potatoes, roasted root veggies, and probably stuffed seitan in the evening!
Happy Holidays!
Jenn
I would love a chance to win the book please!
This year we are doing something different. My husband works for a ballet company that presents the Nutcracker each December. It is a classic and everyone truly enjoys being a part of this traditional holiday event. In years past the last performance was December 23rd and once over everyone would fly, train and drive out of town that day to be with their families for Christmas. This year they have performances before and after Christmas day so no one can go home until well after the holiday. We decided to host a Christmas Eve pot luck for everyone in the company, inviting them to make our home their “home away from home” for Christmas this year.
With 70 plus people coming who knows what amazing foods will appear on the table! I imagine some folks will cook and bring a dish that they just have to have every Christmas, some will bring food made from recipies handed down from grandparents, others will bring yummy pre-made treats, one friend will undoubtedly bring a barrel of cheeze balls. One thing I know for certain – we will have a grand time as we come together to celebrate both the season and our ballet family.
Cheers and Happy Holidays everyone!
Celeste
Oh, it would be so amazing to win a copy of Vegan Holiday Kitchen. your seitan roast looks mouthwatering delicious. Since I’ve little kids, our holiday meal is actually brunch, so we’ll be making a breakfast casserole. That being said, I’ve got to try this roast! Maybe for a Christmas dinner.
Mikki Marcotte
My family celebrates Christmas. We all usually bring snacky, fingerfood types of things. Because this is my first ETL Christmas I thought I would bring hummus and babbagnoush with whole wheat pita chips.
Christina
That looks absolutely delicious!
Diane in Flagstaff
I’m a newbie vegan so I’m still trying to navigate around the world of holidays. I love the idea of these seitan stuffed rolls, but I have to get brave enough to try it! I really would LOVE your book….hope you pick me! 🙂
Shauna Leavey
i would SO enjoy a copy of nava’s new book. i rely on her, and you, for many recipes. the recipe above is now on my chanukah party menu, along with latkes, of course, and chocolate bark.
Lynnette
I would love an opportunity to win the book. Our big holiday meal is breakfast on Christmas day. As this is our first vegan Christmas, I am still figuring out what to replace our usual “Breakfast casserole” which has sausage, eggs, cheese and milk in it. And I may have to still make one for my 2 returning from college who have not made the transition yet. I will also need to rethink our usual New Years Eve feast of cheese fondue & chocolate fondue. Your site is wonderful!
Connie
I will definitely be trying this during the holidays. My husband and I are the only 2 vegans in the family, and I’m sure we will love this!
I have a birthday coming up in January (not exactly a holiday, but….) and of course Valentine’s Day.
Would LOVE a copy of your cookbook!
Judy Patti
You are my favorite!! I am still waiting for you to make a cook book. Out of all the cook books I have for fat free vegan cooking, it’s always your blog that I resort to. I will make this for Christmas…..as it looks so festive, however because of heart disease I rarely eat nuts per Dr Esselstyn, so I may make an exception. Thanks Judy
A.L.Wolfe
I would love a chance to win a copy of the Vegan Holiday Kitchen! All your recipes look SO darn good it makes my mouth water just looking and reading the recipes! My menu (just for one) this year will be a dressed up curried lentil loaf with the usual sides (sweet potato gratin and collards swimming in garlic and onion) and also going to try to make a cranberry/orange crunch for dessert, have to splurge sometime 🙂 Winter holidays for me are Thanksgiving, Christmas and my birthday in February ~ may go all out for the birthday meal and treat myself to Korean food out!
Danae
We celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, so our vegan menu includes everything from stuffing to latkes, and menorah and Christmas tree sugar cookies! I’d love to try this holiday cookbook.
And I really want to try this seitan recipe, too, but I think I will have to save a recipe this involved for a holiday season when I don’t have a newborn. 🙂
Kristina
I would love to be entered into your drawing. This looks amazing! We celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. For Thanksgiving, I made a Tofurkey with veggies that turned out pretty nicely. For Christmas, I am definitely going to make this one. In fact, I just printed out the ingredient list so I could try it out tonight and bring some to the office tomorrow. Thanks for the website! I have made several of your recipes and they have all been delicious!
Susan
This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. I am slowly becoming vegan. Love your site.
Joni
I would LOVE a chance to win the book! My family and I celebrate Christmas and New Year’s. I will make myself some rice and veggies and maybe a meat analog product and drink plenty of Silk Nog. I am the only vegan in our family and would love to be able to have some new and fun recipes to try. Thanks for the opportunity to win the book!
Stacey
Can’t wait to try this recipe out on my newly “nutritarian” hubby. We are trying to get his cholesterol down so he doesn’t have to take statins. Although he is still eating some animal foods, I am trying hard to entice him with yummy and healthy plant-based alternatives. He’s been a good sport about trying all my vegan recipes, but it’s especially hard around the holidays. We celebrate Chanukah, but you can’t live on latkes alone!
Victoria
Hi Susan – I would LOVE a chance to win a copy of the book – I’ve been dying to get my hands on it since it came out but I’m a broke college student 🙁 Nava Atlas is one of my faves!
My family’s main winter holiday is Christmas, and we celebrate with a mixture of Vietnamese and American foods. I’m the only vegan in the house, so my boyfriend and I usually cook our own meal, but my mom always has fabulous vegan contributions as well. This year for the American food, I’m thinking a seitan roast similar to the one we did on Thanksgiving, roasted root veggies and brussel sprouts, maybe some mac and cheeze. And definitely your amazing Eggnog Cheesecake!
Sonia Dygert
Love your blog and recipes, I have only been vegan for a little over a month, but am loving it.
We celebrate Christmas, Valentines Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving and both solstices.
Shelley
I have been enjoying your websit for several months and I love your anectodes, pictures and recipes. For Thanksgiving we had your wonderful green bean casserole and impossible pumpkin pie and other veggie dishes for our first vegan T’Day. This Christmas I’m thinking about the mushroom timbales and lots of gravy…
Please add me to the long list of VHK hopefuls!
katiekay7
so this is probably not possible but… i am looking for something like this but gluten free. this looks like a great main dish for a holiday though.
any ideas???????????? 🙂
Susan Voisin
It isn’t exactly the same, but my Thanksgiving Loaf is gluten-free and contains many of the same flavors: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-meatless-loaf.html
katiekay7
thank you for writing! That looks like a great main course! I’ll definitely try it out!!
katiekay7
Do you happen to know of a cookbook that is vegan and gluten free and also good? I’ve done searches on it but wondered if you might have a recommendation so I don’t buy a book full of inedible creations 😉
~As always, THANKS!!
Susan Voisin
I’m still looking for the perfect gluten-free vegan cookbook. My blogging friend Karina has an e-book out that has lots of great recipes that are vegetarian and can be easily veganized. Her blog is http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ –check it out, and if you like her recipes and have an ipad, you can download her ebook.
Louise Placek
I found an amazing recipe on vegweb.com for falafel (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=33141.0) that might work as a covering instead of the seitan. I too am gluten-free and am always looking for alternatives. I made the falafel recipe above in a flat pan and baked it thin. It came out crispy and delicious! Can also make it into square or round individual servings for sandwiches. I am going to try it as an alternative wrap in Susan’s recipe.
katiekay7
thanks to you both!!!!! sounds awesome!
katiekay7
… and ohhhhhhhhh please can I win this book??? I need help with holidays especially!!!!!!!!!
i tend to make some type of gluten free stuffing for holidays – this past thanksgiving it was a rice and mushroom based thing with gravy. It’s just not that exciting… and I find that holidays are the one time I really feel left out. Help would be sooooooo appreciated!
We celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. I have a 2 year old and a 2 month old.
Brenda
I love your blog! I’m in New Orleans, and it’s great to see a “local” vegan blog. I’m jumping on the chance to win the book. I celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. For my Thanksgiving potluck, I made Martha Rose Shulman’s eggplant, tomato, and chickpea casserole, and a batch of your amazing pumpkin muffins. The muffins were devoured even by the veggie skeptics, which are pretty common around here, as I’m sure you know. I’m planning to make cashew vegetable korma (a PPK recipe) for the Christmas potluck, and more of your pumpkin bread muffins. I guess I’m not even trying to stay in the traditional holiday box. For the Christmas potluck, I first planned to make Nava’s shepherd’s pie recipe, but figured the korma in a crockpot would keep better. I’m going to make it at some point though, as well as your broccoli and rice casserole. They both look delicious!
Dyan
This looks amazing! I was only planning to make your sweet potato casserole for Christmas and let my mom do the rest, since I cooked 12 vegan dishes (most of them yours) for my family of five at Thanksgiving and barely got to spend any time with them, but now I’m reconsidering! And yes, I would love to win a cookbook. 🙂
Gail Cosgriff
Seeing as there will be one vegan at the table amid a sea of carnivorous, I’ll be making this seitan. It looks wonderful and I like the fact that there is some leeway as to what goes into it. We will all be feasting this Christmas!
Jeanette Keown
We celebrate Christmas with family and would love a chance at your book to try some exciting recipes. This year we are having field roast and your stuffed seiten, rosemary roasted potatoes, parsnips, Brussel sprouts and carrots. Dessert is going to be something involving chocolate….. It is Christmas after all….
Laurel
Not sure what’s on my menu for Christmas this year. I’m the only vegan in a very non-vegan friendly family (my father doesn’t understand that I cannot eat his penne vodka sauce unless he agrees to use a soy version of heavy cream). however, we are Italian so it will probably be some type of pasta with lots and lots of bread—so a great veggie dish that I could make that even my green fearing family would eat would be great!
Kristin S
I would love to win your book. I had a chance to look through it at the store, and it looks wonderful. I will probably be making be making Caribbean Sweet Potato Gratin on Christmas Eve.
Barb
I would LOVE a copy of your new book! We celebrate Christmas, and this year I’m also doing a large-ish dinner for New Years, and I’m really not sure what to make for the entree. Maybe I’ll go with this lovely stuffed seitan!
April H
This looks yummy! I would LOVE to win a copy of Nava’s book – I have several of her books and I use them all of the time! I’m not sure what we’ll be eating this year – we celebrate Christmas Eve with fondue at my in-laws house, and then we’ll have something on Christmas day at our house.
LS
I’d love to win this cookbook. I celebrate Christmas with my Jewish family. I assume I’m only having sides again this year. But it’s really about the family and not about the food for me. 🙂
stacy
Hi Susan,
I’d love to win a signed copy of your book!
My family tradition is a feast on Christmas Eve. This year I am contributing a vegan version of our secret family pasta sauce recipe, homemade pasta, meeetballs :-), an eggplant florentine bake, and assorted roasted vegetables.
Happy holidays!
Stacy
Semilla
We’re having a Match celebration roast with potatoes, gravy, salad, and bread…but I might just try to make this instead!
Audrey Q
This looks awesome. We celebrate Hannukah and I haven’t planned eight nights of menus yet. I think I will be trying this sometime soon. Would love to win the cookbook. 🙂 Happy holidays to you and your family. We enjoy everything that I make from your website.
Vicki
Susan, I always enjoy your recipes, photos and advice on cooking healthy and delicious foods. For the holidays, I’m making mushroom patties topped with carmelized onions and mushroom gravy, wild rice and cranberry stuffed squash, and roasted Brussels sprouts (or maybe a spinach/artichoke casserole). And a chocolate pudding pie with almond meal crust, of course! I would love to be a lucky recipient of the cookbook, but even if I don’t win, I’m a regular visitor to your website and always find inspiration. Happy holidays!
Theresa Collie
I have just found your site via a FaceBook ad and am so glad I did. I’ve been wanting a good gravy recipe for what seems like ever. I have been dabbling with various recipes trying to find a good mix of good old homestyle cooking with a vegetarian theme and had begun to give up hope. I am so excited to try out all these different dishes presented on your blog.
For the holiday, and I keep Christmas for my children and grandchildren, I usually make a Broccoli Cheese casserole, sweet potato pie and a dish I call Snow Flower Soup (made with cauliflour and usually milk, although this year I was thinking about trying soy).
I would love the opportunity to win your holiday recipe book.
CJ Lamar
Thanks for the great recipes – your posts make going vegetarian (and almost vegan) something I really enjoy!
Carol Chafetz
I’ve never attempted to make seitan but after reading this delicious-sounding recipes, I think I’m capable! Your recipes here and via Facebook have been with me every day of two and a half month journey as a vegan. Thank you!
Carol Chafetz
I was so enthralled with your recipe that I never mentioned which recipes I’m planning for my holiday celebrations! I celebrate Hannukah, but I also help some friends and family celebrate Christmas. I’m planning to make Nava’s Hearty Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie for a family Hannaukah supper. I would love to win the book!
Martie
Chocolate pudding pie and rogue key for Xmas- but I want to try this recipe eventually 🙂
Martie
Ha! That should be tofurkey! Autocorrect!
Susan Voisin
Ha! I almost googled it to find out what it was!
Paul Berry
I think this just might be on the menu for Christmas! I made the double-layer pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving and it was a big hit, and I’m the only Vegan!