This Vegan Thanksgiving Lentil Stromboli is the perfect main entree for your vegan holiday feast! Incredibly easy and full of so much flavor!
I did a poll on Instagram asking what you all NEEDED vegan-ized for your Thanksgiving table. And the overwhelming response was an entree! So I am here to deliver on that ask with this lentil stromboli (or loaf - call it whatever you want). It has all of the flavors of Thanksgiving in one compact package. You could easily just make this, some gravy and cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving and call it a day. It is THAT delicious!
How to make this Vegan Thanksgiving Lentil Stromboli
To keep this recipe simple, I used pre-made pizza dough. You can find this at most grocery stores and 9/10 times it will be vegan-friendly! Place the dough on a floured surface and let it come to room temperature while you prep the filling.
The filling is a combo of a roux, lentils, herbs, broth, veggies and tomato paste. It will look a little like a pile of mush when you cook it down on the stove. But I PROMISE it will taste good (and look much better once it's inside the dough).
Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper - this will help you transfer the whole thing to a baking sheet. Spread a layer of pre-made cranberry sauce down the center, then top it with the lentil mixture.
Use a sharp knife to cut strips in the dough down the edges. Starting from one end, wrap the filling with the strips. There is no need to overthink this part too much. It doesn't need to be perfect, you just want to make sure the dough covers the filling - the oven will do the rest.
For some extra flavor
Once everything is tucked in, grab the edges of the parchment paper and transfer the whole thing to a baking sheet. Mix some olive oil and herbs in a bowl and brush it on top of the dough. Pop it in the oven and let it bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes, so everything can firm up. Slice it into pieces and serve with vegan gravy and more cranberry sauce on the side.
You can easily make this ahead of time and reheat it on Thanksgiving. And it will also make great next day leftovers!
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Vegan Thanksgiving Lentil Stromboli
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pre-made pizza dough
- flour for rolling out dough
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme finely diced
- 5 sage leaves finely diced
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- ¼ cup celery diced
- 1 cup broth I used vegan beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups cooked lentils
- ¼ cup cranberry sauce I used the one from Trader Joe's
FOR THE TOPPING
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and allow to come to room temperature - for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Melt the vegan butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the flour, thyme, sage and a pinch of salt & pepper. Whisk until smooth and bubbly.
- Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook until slightly tender (approx. 3 minutes). Add the tomato paste, broth and lentils. Stir until combined and the broth has been absorbed. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Lay down a piece of parchment paper the same size as the baking sheet you will use. Place the dough on the parchment paper and roll it into a rectangle. Spread the cranberry sauce down the center of the dough - being sure to leave an edge (see photos for reference). Add the lentil mixture on top of the cranberries.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 1 inch strips along the edges. Roll up the bottom edge, then begin crisscrossing the strips. Continue to crisscross the edges until they are all tucked in.* Grab the edges of the parchment paper and place the entire thing on the baking sheet.
- Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl. Brush on top of the dough. Place the loaf in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Slice into pieces and serve with vegan gravy.
Notes
Nutrition
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Lisa Cremona
HOLY YUM!!
This recipe is so ridiculously good, my non-vegan husband and kids were eating it at Thanksgiving! I made it with the vegan gravy and it was crazy-good! In fact, my family has requested that I make it for our guests on New Years! Thank you for this recipe!!
Rene
Yayyyyy - I'm so happy to hear it was a hit Lisa!
Krisha
Hi, I’m excited to try this, but I’m unclear on the lentils. Did you use pre-prepared lentils or did you cook some beforehand and refrigerate them before making the Stromboli? Thanks!
Rene
I buy mine cooked. But you could make them from scratch too!
Lisa Cremona
I used the pre-cooked package from Trader Joes, and it was DEELISH!!
Rene
Love their lentils!
Cheryl
Trying this for Thanksgiving this year. Have you tried using puff pastry?
karen
I am wondering about puff pastry too. It's probably not vegan.
Rene
I've always been able to find vegan puff pastry - just check the label!
Rene
I haven't tried it with puff pastry, but it should work!
Robin Barker
OMG - had this for Thanksgiving last year and it turned out AMAZING! A definite addition for a new tradition.
Melissa Reznar
I made this for Christmas and I got a chorus of this is so goods. My favorite comment, however, was "This is a symphony of flavors in my mouth!" 🙂
Rene
hahaha - that is amazing!!!
Tara
Made this tonight and it came out SO good! Would definitely make again!
Cris
My first try at this did not go well but the taste was delicious!!! I will share the details so others can avoid my mistakes but first; I had so much trouble slicing the Stromboli. Especially the bottom. It ended up not at all looking pretty, like the picture. Any suggestions on what I could have done wrong? 1. I had 3 parties back to back that I wanted to bring this to so I tripled the recipe and attempted to cook the filling at the same time. 2. I wanted to reduce fat and calories so I omitted the oil and butter and tried veggie broth as a replacement. I think the large pan I used made this a problem because I could barely blend the flour and broth quick enough before it became a paste. So, difficultly with the crust and my filling was more on the gooey or runny side. By my third bake, I bought puff pastry dough and I guess it became a Wellington? lol. Any suggestions on the bottom crust and the gooey issue? Thanks
Melissa King
It was my first plant-based Thanksgiving, and this recipe did not disappoint. All of the flavors of Thanksgiving in one delicious loaf. Yum! Also, such a beautiful presentation! I am so excited to eat this for the next few days!
Stephanie
I made this to bring to Thanksgiving and it was a smash hit. I used 2 pie crusts because that’s what I had and it turned out well. Glad this provides a protein-packed dish!
Shannon
Hi! Do you think gluten free pie crust would work?
Rene
Hi Shannon - I haven't tried it, but I don't see why it shouldn't work. Let us know how it goes!
Kindness Roots
What color lentils?
Rene
I used brown lentils.
Leigh Anna
We aren’t cranberry relish fans, so I’m going to try a mango chutney or some other chunky jam. Wish me luck!
Jackie
Hi! Did you used canned lentils? What color lentils? So excited to make this for thanksgiving!
Rene
I used refrigerated lentils - they were brown lentils.
Shelley Hill
Do you think this can be made ahead of time?
Rene
It definitely can. I made one, froze it, and reheated it in the oven on Thanksgiving. Still tasted great!
Nia
Not a huge of cranberries, any recommendations for a substitution? Will the recipe be fine without it?
Rene
I think it will be fine without it. It is meant to add some moisture, so if you want to add something different, you could try a thin layer of vegan cream cheese!