Vegan Puff Pastry Wreath Filled with Potato Dumplings, Red Cabbage & Plant-Based Sausages
Christmas is just around the corner, and so is the big decision about the Christmas menu. What will be this year's starter, main course, and dessert? Should it be a bit more elaborate, or will you skip the starter altogether? However you decide, we hope we provide you with enough inspiration, so you can reward yourself with a beautiful Christmas dinner at the end of the year. We all deserve it!
For the second year in a row, we're showing you a "lazy Christmas dinner," which is a dish that's ideal if you'd rather spend Christmas Eve on the couch instead of in the kitchen, which we do understand. Last year we offered you our loaded tater tots with jackfruit, red cabbage slaw, and a quick vegan gravy. This year, we're going a bit more "classic" making a puff pastry wreath filled with (ready-made) dumplings, (ready-made) red cabbage, and vegan sausages. This dish is such an eye-catcher that it becomes an absolute minor matter whether and what is homemade or not.
For this, we take two large sheets of puff pastry (the refrigerated, but not the frozen one), cut out a ring with the help of a large and small bowl, and fill our wreath not with "any filling," but with the Christmas food par excellence: potato dumplings, red cabbage and ... well, sausages. They simply have the best shape and are prepared a lot faster than vegan goulash. In addition, we'll form smaller potato dumplings, which will reduce the cooking time. Plus, the red cabbage is bought and not homemade, so in total, this dish is done in less than 1 hour. Of course, you can adjust the individual components and use sauerkraut instead of red cabbage or smoked tofu, seitan, or tempeh instead of plant-based sausages.
By the way, a puff pastry wreath is also a great idea if you have leftovers after the Christmas holidays that you want to hide under a crispy blanket. As a dip, we give you a quick gravy to hand, which only takes a few minutes until it's ready.
Vegan Puff Pastry Wreath with Dumplings, Red Cabbage & Plant-Based Sausages
Ingredients
For the Puff Pastry Wreath
- 750 g (1.66 lb) vegan dumpling dough
- 200 g (7 oz) red cabbage from a jar
- 7 vegan bratwurst sausages
- 2 vegan puff pastries (50 x 25 centimeters / 20 x 10 inches)
- vegetable oil for frying
- plant-based milk for brushing
For the Quick Gravy
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 0.5 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp mustard
- 2 tbsp wheat flour (type 405)
- 300 ml (1.25 cups) vegetable broth
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) vegan red wine
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- agave syrup (optional)
- salt
- pepper
For Serving
- rosemary sprigs
- flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
Bring salted water to a boil in a pot. While the water heats up, place dumpling dough in a bowl, knead through, and form 15 equally sized dumplings. Reduce heat so the water only simmers—never boils, but is always just about to. Add dumplings to the water and let simmer uncovered for approx. 15 minutes over medium heat.
Meanwhile, place red cabbage from the jar in a strainer and let drain. Fry vegan bratwurst sausages in a pan with oil until browned all around.
For the puff pastry wreath, place the first puff pastry on a lightly floured surface or parchment paper. Place a bowl with approx. 35 centimeters / 14 inches diameter upside down and only halfway on the dough. Cut a semicircle from the dough with a knife. Place a small bowl with approx. 16 centimeters / 6 inches diameter also upside down and only halfway on the semicircle, and cut a smaller semicircle out of the larger one with a knife. Now you've got half of the wreath ready. Do the same with the second puff pastry and place both halves together on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Press the ends together firmly so a large wreath forms. Cut the dough scraps into 4 x 10 centimeter / 1.5 x 4 inch long strips.
Preheat oven to 200 °C / 390 °F (convection). Distribute dumplings, red cabbage, and vegan bratwurst sausages on the puff pastry wreath. Now place the dough strips over the filling and press both ends firmly onto the dough base so they connect.
Brush the puff pastry wreath with plant-based milk and bake at 200 °C / 390 °F (convection) for approx. 10–15 minutes until the dough is golden brown.
Meanwhile, prepare the quick gravy. Peel onion and cut into small cubes. Melt vegan butter in a small pot and first sauté onion cubes together with dried thyme until the onion turns translucent. Add tomato paste and mustard, and roast for approx. 3 minutes over medium heat until the paste becomes slightly darker. Dust with flour and immediately pour in vegetable broth and red wine. Season the gravy with soy sauce, optional agave syrup, salt, and pepper to taste.
Remove the puff pastry wreath from the oven and serve with the gravy, rosemary sprigs, and chopped parsley.
