the vegducken
The vegducken has made its way to the holiday table! Do you dare try this roasted franken-veg concoction this year?!
Servings 8
Ingredients
squash
- 1 large butternut squash
- 4 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 to 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 eggplant
- ⅓ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 zucchini
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 leek
- 5-6 peeled whole garlic cloves
stuffing
- 1 small white or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 fire roasted red peppers, finely chopped (from a jar)
- 2 tablespoon sunflower oil (or use oil from jar of red peppers)
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 C diced butternut squash pieces (scooped from butternut squash above)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prepare butternut squash by cutting it into 2 even halves. Trim a small piece of the base off one half so it can sit flat in the baking dish. Scoop out the inside seeds and some of the flesh leaving about ½" to ¾" still in tact. Keep the flesh for the stuffing.
- Coat both halves of the butternut squash in 1 tablespoon of vegan butter and maple syrup. Set them in a baking dish while you prepare the other components.
- Cut eggplant and zucchini into 2 even halves and hollow a bit of the centre out of each. Add a sprinkle of sea salt to the vegetables and set aside in a strainer or on a wire rack so they can release moisture.
- Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat with oil and sauté onion and red pepper for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining stuffing ingredients and sauté for another 8 to 10 minutes until squash is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed. Set aside while you prepare the eggplant, zucchini, and leek.
- Coat the eggplant halves in 1 tablespoon of vegan butter. Mix together the bread crumbs and cinnamon, and coat eggplant with that.
- Coat the zucchini halves in 1 tablespoon of vegan butter and sprinkle with smoked paprika.
- Cut about a quarter of the leek top off so you have a little bit of green left. Then cut it in half evenly and remove a few pieces from the inside core. Wash the excess dirt off from between the layers.
- Coat the leek halves with 1 tablespoon of vegan butter and then place peeled whole garlic cloves along the inside of one half of the leek.
- Assemble the vegducken by layering/pressing a little more than ⅔ of the stuffing inside each half of the butternut squash.
- Place one eggplant half inside the butternut squash and add a bit more stuffing around the sides of the eggplant to fill any gaps. Then place a zucchini half inside the eggplant.
- Fill the zucchini half with stuffing and place one leek half on top of that.
- Then work backwards adding the other halves of leek, zucchini, eggplant on top and adding the top of the butternut squash last.
- Use 2 pieces of twine to hold the butternut squash together.
- Bake uncovered for approximately 90 minutes. When a large skewer easily goes through the centre of the vegducken, it should be ready. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
*I used a product called Magic Vegan Bacon Grease, but it is not available everywhere.
