Thanksgiving is this Thursday for most of us in the U.S., but believe it or not, I’ve already made Thanksgiving dinner twice. I’ve been determined to come up with a new main dish, a simple adaptation of my Seitan Stuffed with Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, and Mushrooms.
It took me a couple of tries, but I finally came up with the perfect savory, mushroom-infused seitan roast. You’d think that after enjoying it two times in three days, my family would be tired of Thanksgiving food, but you’d be wrong. My daughter E wants me to make this again on Thursday. My husband D and I loved it as much as she did, so it’s quite possible I will be making it a third time this week.
E is our family’s chief “Thanksgiving cheerleader.” She insists that we have the full feast every year, even if we’re only cooking it for the three of us. So before I get to the recipe, I thought it might be helpful to make a list of all of her (and our) favorite holiday dishes. These are not necessarily the fanciest dishes on this blog, but they’re the ones we come back to year after year. Our feast always includes at least one dish from each category below, as well as mashed potatoes. Got to have the mashed potatoes!
Check out our family favorites below, and if you don’t see what you’re craving, be sure to peruse my entire list of Thanksgiving recipes.
Main Dishes
- Baked Tofu (above, with Jalapeño-Orange Cranberry Sauce): This is the simplest main dish of them all and the one my daughter always asks for. —gluten-free
- Seitan Stuffed with Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, and Mushrooms: People will not believe you made this elegant dish yourself! –soy-free
- Dreena’s No-fu Love Loaf: This loaf has been wildly popular since Dreena Burton allowed me to share it on my blog, and rightfully so. I served it to non-vegans last year to rave reviews. —gluten-free, soy-free
- Thanksgiving Meatless Loaf: This grain-free loaf is tender on the inside and crispy on the outside and contains all the savory flavors of fall. —gluten-free
Side Dishes:
- The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole: Lives up to its name. E has to have this every year.
- E’s Super-Awesome Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms: My daughter created it and still loves it. —gluten-free, soy-free
- Vegan Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing: Based on my mother’s non-vegan recipe, no one ever realizes it doesn’t contain meat.–soy-free
- Ginger-Orange Glazed Carrots: An easy vegetable side dish that you can make ahead. —soy-free, gluten-free
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Dried Cranberries and Cashews: Everyone will be impressed by this vibrant salad with pickled red onions, spicy cashews, and maple vinaigrette. –soy-free, gluten-free
Essential Thanksgiving Sauces
- 911 Vegan Gravy: This 5-ingredient, gluten-free gravy is simple to make and easy to season to your own tastes. –gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free
- Vegan Mushroom Gravy: Absolutely essential. And delicious. —soy-free, gluten-free
- My Family’s Cranberry Relish Recipe: My father usually makes this, but when he doesn’t, my husband insists I do. —raw, gluten-free, soy-free
Vegan Desserts
- Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake: My family would probably divorce me if I didn’t make this on Thanksgiving. It’s higher in fat and uses more processed foods than I like, but everyone loves it and it’s only once a year.
- Impossible Vegan Pumpkin Pie: Much lighter than other pumpkin pies because it forms its own crust. Another must-have for my family. —soy-free, gluten-free
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping: This casserole is a dessert in my family. Make it and you’ll see why!
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding: My family’s newest favorite is this lightened-up version of a New Orleans classic dessert. —soy-free
There are three reasons why I’m including this Mushroom Seitan Roast on our list of favorites from now on. First of all, it’s delicious. The mushrooms add a savory flavor without being “mushroomy.” They are chopped fine, and even the hatingest hater of mushrooms would have trouble knowing they’re there. They break up the texture of the seitan a little so that it’s more tender than most gluten roasts without being noticeable themselves.
Second, the recipe is fairly easy. You don’t have to stuff one thing into another or baste anything or stand over a stove. Put it in the oven and come back every 25 minutes to turn it over. That’s it.
And finally: Leftovers. This roast firms up in the fridge overnight and makes the best thin-sliced sandwiches ever. Enjoy!
Be sure to check out all 56 of my Thanksgiving Recipes, with more added all the time!
Mushroom Seitan Roast
Ingredients
- 10 medium mushrooms regular, crimini, or baby bella
- 2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or quinoa flakes (old fashioned oatmeal)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon hickory smoked salt optional
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth room temperature
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, coconut aminos, or gluten-free tamari
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon tahini or other nut butter
Instructions
- Wash and dry the mushrooms. Place them in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and pulse until they are finely chopped. Set aside.
- Combine in a mixing bowl: gluten, oats or quinoa flakes, nutritional yeast, thyme, sage, onion powder, smoked salt, and a generous grating of black pepper. Mix well to distribute all ingredients evenly.
- Place the broth, soy sauce, garlic, and nut butter in blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the contents of the blender and the mushrooms to the dry mix and stir until combined. Once it becomes hard to stir, use your hands to knead the ingredients together, making sure that all the dry mix is moistened. Shape into a ball and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut two 20-inch pieces of aluminum foil. Place them on the counter with one overlapping the other horizontally by about half its width. You should have a surface of foil about 20 inches wide by 20 inches deep. Cut a piece of parchment paper about 20 inches long and place it over the aluminum foil with the bottom edges even. Put the uncooked seitan in the middle of the parchment, and shape it into a loaf about 9-10 inches long. Fold the short ends over the seitan and then bring the long edge closest to you over and roll it up. Place it on a baking sheet with the edge of the foil down.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Turn over carefully and bake for another 25 minutes. Turn again and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Seitan should feel firm and not jiggly. You can test for doneness by cutting into the middle and making sure that it is firm and not dough-like. If necessary, give it more time.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing. Keep leftovers tightly covered to prevent them from drying out.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Lisa
This sounds amazing and you’ve saved me! As the only vegan, I was going to make do with all the veggie sides as the other recipes seemed too complicated for just me. I can’t wait to try this! One question, though: is it possible to post a picture of what you did with the foil and parchment? I am having a hard time following it. Thanks!
Susan Voisin
Yes, give me a few minutes to take a photo and I’ll attach a link to it here.
Susan Voisin
Lisa, I added a photo to try to explain the layout of the foil and parchment. Click on it to enlarge it and let me know if it still isn’t clear.
moonwatcher
Looks yummy Susan! If I could have conventional wheat I’d be all over this one. Really love the notion of leftovers in sandwiches too. Happy Thanksgiving to you all! And thanks for your wonderful work here in FatFreeVegan.
Sandy
I’m confused about Step 5 in the Mushroom Seitan Roast recipe. Does the roast go into the oven wrapped in parchment paper and two pieces of aluminum foil? Thank you.
Susan Voisin
Yes. I just added a series of photos to illustrate what I mean. Click on it to enlarge it and see if it makes things clearer.
Lisa
Thanks so much! The pictures definitely helped!
Chana
So the parchment goes under the foil? I can’t wait to make this! I wonder if they’ll realize there are mushrooms in there…??? Sneaky sneaky thanksgiving!
Susan Voisin
The parchment goes on top of the foil to keep your seitan from coming into contact with the foil. Some people don’t want their food to touch aluminum. Of course, if that doesn’t bother you, you could probably skip the parchment paper, but I think it helps prevent sticking and gives another layer of insulation.
Chana
Excellent! Thank you.
Also I just read your ” impossible” pie recipe. Do you think it would work with canned pumpkin? How much would you use? I’m do excited to cook thanksgiving this year. Thanks for all the great advice.
Susan Voisin
Yes, you can use canned pumpkin. Just use the amount of pumpkin that the recipe calls for. Hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving feast!
johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe
happy thanksgiving Susan – this looks like a marvellous loaf – I am not so keen on seitan but the mushrooms and oats make it sound more my sort of thing – and I do love a good festive feast – but I have never had a thanksgiving feast.
Melody
Oh, this looks so good and I am going to make it! Your recipes always are fantastic! Do you think it would be possible to prepare this and then hold it in the fridge a few days before baking? Or to bake it and then reheat in the oven before serving? I am trying to make as much as I can in advance of the big day. Thanks!
Susan Voisin
I would bake it and then reheat it later. Just make sure you store it very tightly sealed–maybe keep it wrapped up and put it in an airtight container. When you reheat it, use a low temp and keep it tightly wrapped so that it doesn’t dry out.
Alexandra
Thanks for this prompt response; I just mixed it up, and thought to bake on Thursday, but now it goes in the oven; Very easy recipe.
Kerrie
Hi Susan, am planning your roast for Christmas, can it be made, cooked and frozen – then thawed and reheated? Love your recipes, thanks so much!
Carmen
I am keen to find out about freezing too reheating too please!!
Jill
Great roundup! Everything sounds delicious! I’m not vegan but love to incorporate vegan components, especially in typically meat-heavy holiday meals.
Jill
Great roundup! Everything sounds delicious! I’m not vegan but love to incorporate vegan components, especially in typically meat-heavy holiday meals.
Usha
Susan,
I’m going to make this!!!
We just had a ‘dress rehearsal’ dinner for Thanksgiving too. I tried out a Field Roast 1 lb. celebration roast, stuffed with butternut squash etc. It was good, though fairly whopping in sodium (710 per serving, I think). I was just now dithering between getting another, larger, Field Roast or making your other seitan stuffed with walnuts, cranberries and mushrooms. Obviously my fatfreevegan fairy must have heard me over the internet, and I just opened your latest mail!
Yay and thank you!!!
Have a lovely Thanksgiving.
Usha
Btw, I made your green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole last year. Excellent recipes. I’ve made the impossble pumpkin pie several times. I have only one vegetarian kid too, and she appreciates all your recipes. Her must-have for Thanksgiving is a ciabatta-chestnut stuffing that she devours.
caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy
I can’t have seitan, but wow this looks amazing! I wish i could!
The Vegan Scholar
Seitan is such an awesome & versatile food. This recipe makes me hungry!!
Nikki
Susan, can the seitan be frozen and reheated later? Or can the recipe be halved easily?
Bonnie K.
Hi Susan,
I am going to try this this year – can’t wait – thanks for making our vegan Thanksgiving AWESOME!!!!!
-Bonnie
Tinks
This looks delicious like all of your recipes. I have rheumatoid arthritis and while I am vegan my diet has not been low fat. I am following Dr McDougall’s advice to follow a low fat diet and your recipes have been so helpful, thank you Susan.
Amy
I really, really want to make this but I have family who are allergic to both soy AND coconut. Can I leave the soy sauce out and add more salt, and still have this taste good??
Susan Voisin
Yes! If nutritional yeast is ok, you can increase it a little to boost the flavor. Using hickory smoked salt will help, too.
Amy
Thanks so much Susan! When I make it I’ll let you know how it went in case anyone else has the same allergies 🙂
Amy
This recipe was a huge hit with my family. I made a double batch of the roast and mushroom gravy – my family ate it all over a few days and then asked me to make more. I couldn’t find hickory smoked salt, but increased the salt and added garlic powder to made up for not being able to use soy. Next time I’ll also add more nutritional yeast.
The leftovers are fantastic too, and great in a sandwich. We all found we prefer the roast quite thinly sliced, like slicing a turkey. We also wished we had some cranberry sauce to go with the gravy and mashed pototoes!
Sandy
Thanks for adding the pictures. They really helped! Happy Thanksgiving!
Henry
Could this be made in a pressure cooker? I once made a plain seitan loaf in a pressure cooker.
Susan Voisin
I haven’t tried it in the pressure cooker, but I’m sure it’s possible. The only thing I worry about is it being wet heat rather than dry and retaining too much moisture.
Kim in MA
This looks delicious. I wasn’t going to make a vegan main dish this year, but after seeing this, I decided to try it. I bought pre-sliced baby Bella’s, so I can’t count them out. Any idea how much to use? What is the quantity of finely chopped mushrooms after food processing, for comparison? Thanks so. U h for sharing your lovely recipes!
Susan Voisin
It’s one cup of mushrooms after processing. I hope you enjoy it!
Valerie Lewis
Tried the Mushroom Seitan roast…. but got something like spongey bread! Never seem to have luck with baking seitan…either comes out like this, or like a rubber ball. Disappointed as it looked great in the pic. The only possible difference in making the recipe was the oats…I didn’t have rolled oats, just had wholegrain quick oats (they are flaked). I seem to do better with seitan that is simmered in broth… I guess I will try frying slices, with gravy to see how that goes.
Corrin Radd
I had to cook mine for 30 minutes longer, but it was worth the wait. One of the best seitan roasts I’ve ever made.
Alexandra
I made it for thanksgiving to acclaim; and I made it immediately after, to see if I still liked it. Yes, and even more. very good cold.
Chris
I would like to half the recipe to try it first since new to seitan.
I hope to make for xmas.
So by halving the recipe, would I half the cooking and turning times?
Thanks
Susan Voisin
You can probably reduce the cooking time. I would turn it after 20 minutes and check it again after 20 more to see if it seems done in the middle.
Chris
I ended up using the times in the original recipe thinking maybe the thickness needed it. (I had not seen your reply..I was excited to make it).
Anyhow it was hard on the outside…needed serated knife, and a wee bit
Spongyish inside. So tonight I put some slices in a bit of gravy and simmered till heated through…..oh Susan, it was DElicious!! With cranberry sauce on the side. This is my xmas entree this year. Thank you!
Have a wonderful and healthy 2015!
Chris
Sorry, I forgot to add I was thinking of cooking it Christmas Eve day.
Wrapping up tight and refrigerating. Then xmas day, slicing it and
Heating the slices in gravy. The texture then moist and wonderful.
katie hann
Hello, I am a year 11 food tech student who is trying to complete 30% of her GCSE on studying vegan meal options. I will be trying to create 4 meals which suit the vegan lifestyle and was wondering if any vegans would be happy to quickly fill out my survey so I can make the meals best suited to the lifestyle. I would really appreciate it if you could fill it out https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DV9PP7
Usha
Hi Susan,
Here’s my feedback if you want it.
Very good!
Smart idea about the parchment…keeps the foil from sticking to the roast.
The taste and texture were very good (I did cook it a little longer because I didn’t want it doughy). I strongly suggest slicing it thinly,…in my hurry, I cut big slabs, and they were dense! So take time to cut thin for sure.
Also used leftovers for a ‘corned beef’ hash the next day (how fun) and a couple more slices on a salad. When reheating, I poured a few tablespoons of veg broth to soften and infuse flavor back into it. It worked very well.
Thanks again!
U.
Rebecca Finch
Thanks for this recipe. I fixed a loaf two nights ago and my husband loved it. It’s the first time I have successfully made seitan (no rubbery texture, no gumminess). I trust your recipes above most others–I know that if I follow them they will work with no issues. Hope you will continue to be well and be able to continue the wonderful work you are doing to benefit the health of all who are interested in following a whole foods plant based diet.
Kelvin Tan
Looks delicious! Will try out your recipe for my family. Hope they like it. Thank you.
Carolyn
What do you make the gravy with?
Susan Voisin
The recipe for the gravy is here: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2013/12/vegan-mushroom-gravy.html
Cara Courage
Tastes lovely as a wet mix – but at what point does it start to firm up? I’ve been mixing for an age and its still a soup-like consistency. Would it be have been better ti add the wet ingredients a bit at a time rather than at once as the recipe says?
Susan Voisin
I’ve never had that happen, but I would mix in some more gluten.
Mary
Is it possible to do a gluten free version of this? What would you recommend substituting in place of the vital wheat gluten? Thanks!!! It looks amazing and I really want to make this for Christmas!
Zina
Made this for Christmas Eve. I had to cook it an extra twenty minutes or so; the inside was still very doughy until that point. I used a quarter teaspoon of liquid smoke for the wet mix and left in the quarter teaspoon of salt in the dry. Flavor was perfect; not too much salt but very flavorful.
It’s not as dense as other seitan I’ve had, which was good actually. It had more of a breadiness to it. I made a mushroom gravy which complimented the texture perfectly, but it would also be good with ketchup, like most meat loaves. The boyfriend loved it. Easiest to make seitan I’ve ever done and probably the best (due to how fool proof it is probably).
Kris
Oh my word! I just made this mushroom seitan roast tonight and it is divine!!! I have a vegan “sausage” recipe that I love, but when I tried the loaf recipe from the same source, it just didn’t impress me. This one, however, is outstanding! It’s by far the tastiest loaf I’ve tried making, and it was very easy to make. I When I took it out of the oven and unwrapped it to check for doneness (it was done in the suggested time), I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had browned on the surface–nice bonus. I will definitely be making this one again and again–in fact, I may never buy a Tofurky roast again. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. Happy holidays to you!
Julie F
For Christmas Dinner yesterday I made your Green Bean Casserole, Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing, Mushroom Gravy and Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake (along with turkey for the carnivores in the family and other dishes). My family really enjoyed all the dishes and were amazed to find out they were vegan and fairly low in fat compared to what they would normallly eat. I will definitely be making those dishes again. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes on this site. I read your posts regularly and make many of the recipes you share. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and wish you good health and happiness in 2015.
mary
Thanks for your lovely recipes. I want to ask one question. Are nuts and coconut milk allowed in fat free cooking. I notice Neil Barnard’s books use both in the recipes and they are high in their fat content.
K
Susan, I love your site and I love this loaf – this is the 3rd time I’m making it, but oh boy the ads this time!
Banner along the bottom (used to this one)
Then another one from the top down that takes up 2/3 of the screen with no visible x and takes a fairly long while to go away (not sure how or why it eventually does go away)
Then I accidentally mouse over the listerine sidebar which expands into a bigger ad covering about 1/4 of the screen (though this one goes away easily by moving the mouse away and at least it didn’t start making noise at me)
After all which the survey one pops up at the bottom. (used to this one too, but not so much all the fanfare that lead up to it this time)
I know you don’t have control over individual ads, but maybe you’re able to choose to have it toned down a bit so it’s not quite the obstacle course to get to the actual recipe. Of course bloggers deserve their ad revenue, especially you provide such great content like on this site, but I also think there’s a line where it can start dissuading visitors. Just my two cents.
Jacqueline Griffin
I have just discovered your site and it has given me such hope. I have to lose weight, reduce my cholesterol and sugar. I started the day with the tofu scramble and it was delicious. I have just put my mushroom seitan roast in the oven. One of my strategies to reduce my cholesterol is to have no more than 1g of saturated fat per serving. This recipe shows 3 gram of total fat. Where is the fat coming from? Do you know how much saturated fat it contains? What ingredients do I look at for calculating the fat content?
Susan Voisin
Most of the fat is coming from the tahini (1.2g) and wheat gluten (.75g). The rest of the ingredients provide trace amounts. The amount of saturated fat is .27g per serving. Hope you enjoy it!
renata helm
Dear Susan,
how can I do it using a Seitan fix? Can’t wait to do it! I’m your fan!
Renata
Susan Voisin
Renata, do you mean a seitan mix? I haven’t used anything other than the ingredients I listed here, so I don’t know how it would come out using a mix. I hope you can find some vital wheat gluten and give it a try.
renata helm
Hi Susan, I mean this one, seitan FIX:
http://migre.me/od0oe
Its just for adding water to make the dough and then boil it 🙂
I wanted to know how to do this recipe with this. Thank you!!!
The Vegan Junction
Alright I’m giving this one a go. It should go really well some vegan mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes. I look forward to it – a nice satisfying, and low-fat vegan meal!
Danielle
I just made this today for the first time. I decided around 10 am to have a 6-months-until-Thanksgiving dinner tonight 🙂 I made this loaf, baked four Russet potatoes, and made your mushroom gravy with lots of extra mushrooms, thyme, and marjoram.
There were no cranberries to be had, of course, but I had some beautiful organic beetroots I roasted yesterday, so I diced them and squeezed on some fresh orange juice–just the thing as a cranberry sauce stand-in. A salad with orange-tomato dressing, and it was so awesome! My husband loved it, too.
We’re waiting for the food to settle a little, and then we’ll have some pear-blueberry crisp out of the oven. Now I will have to have a christmas celebration next month, haha.
For anyone who wants to make this lower-fat, I left out the tahini with no issues. The texture was great–almost too ‘meaty’ if you know what I mean, since the loaf developed a realistic skin-like crust so in texture it was like we were eating meat!! 😮