Vegan Stuffed Seitan

This Vegan Stuffed Seitan recipe is a holiday centerpiece consisting of savory seitan enveloping Apple Walnut Stuffing or any other stuffing of your choice. It's awesome for holiday vegan feast type dinners with Gracious Gravy drizzled on top and accompanied by Cranberry Sauce. I'm proud to serve this every year during Thanksgiving and again during Christmas dinner. The seitan casing utilizes ingredients like lentil puree, shoyu, marinara sauce, nutritional yeast flakes and a variety of spices to deliver a delectible savoriness that will satisfy vegans and omnis alike.

Vegan Stuffed Seitan Recipe

1 batch of Apple Walnut Stuffing

2/3 cup (156 ml) lentils, measured cooked
½ cup + 2 Tablespoons (148 ml) vegetable stock or water
¼ cup (59 ml) shoyu
¼ cup (59 ml) olive oil
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste
2 Tablespoons (13 g) nutritional yeast flakes
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon (1 g) dried basil
½ teaspoon (.5 g) thyme
½ teaspoon (1 g) paprika
½ teaspoon (2 g) garlic granules
½ teaspoon (1 g) onion granules

1 ½ cups (205 g) wheat gluten flour

1) Prepare the flavor building ingredients for the seitan

Preheat your oven to 350F (177C). In a food processor or blender add the lentils, vegetable stock or water, shoyu, olive oil, tomato paste, nutritional yeast flakes, balsamic vinegar, dried basil, thyme, paprika, garlic granules and onion granules. Purée until smooth.

2) Prepare the wheat gluten flour

Add the wheat gluten flour to a medium mixing bowl.

3) Knead the wheat gluten mixture

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the wheat gluten flour and stir until well incorporated. Knead the wheat gluten mixture in the mixing bowl for 5 minutes.  

4) Roll the wheat gluten out to size

Place the ball of wheat gluten on a non stick baking mat and roll out into a disc about 1 foot in diameter using a rolling pin. You may have to work a little to roll it into disc form. Don't be afraid to press the rolling rolling pin into the wheat gluten to squish it into place. It will want to spring back but keep rolling and it will eventually spread out.

5) Encase the stuffing in the wheat gluten sheet

Place the Apple Walnut Stuffing in the right-hand side just slightly off the center of the wheat gluten disc. Fold the left-hand side over the stuffing and join it together around the outside diameter of the wheat gluten disc so it resembles a calzone. Don't be afraid to compress the stuffing or stretch the wheat gluten a little. You may have to hold the the ends of the wheat gluten together for 30 seconds when you join it to give it a chance to bond. 

6) Wrap the stuffed seitan in aluminum foil and bake to perfection

Lay out a large piece of tin foil and move one end of the wheat gluten onto it, then the other end. Liberally wrap it in aluminum foil making sure the joined areas of the wheat gluten don't stretch apart. Bake for 1 ½ hours. 

7) Remove the foil and slice the stuffed seitan

Remove the aluminum foil, slice into 1 inch thick pieces and serve. Drizzling it with Gracious Vegan Gravy is highly recommended. Leftovers can be stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen in the freezer for up to 3 months. This recipe for Vegan Stuffed Seitan serves about 4 to 6 people.