Vegan Thanksgiving Lentil Stromboli
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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
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1/4 cup celery diced
- 1 cup broth I used vegan beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups cooked lentils
- 1/4 cup cranberry sauce I used the one from Trader Joe's
FOR THE TOPPING
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 1/2 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
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Made this twice. Once to cut in half and put half in the freezer for my husband and myself to see how it would work frozen and once for a family Thanksgiving dinner vegan style. Everyone loved it, especially with the gravy. I had leftover lentil mix because I added mushrooms per one of the other comments and found that that works really well as a filling for shepherds pie.
Ohhhh yum! I love the idea of putting the filling in a shephards pie! So glad you loved it!
Wow! This recipe is incredible, Thank you so much! It turned out beautifully, a feast for the eyes (and belly), and everyone loved it!
I made a second for the freezer: baked it then froze it in plastic wrap. Could you please provide details for unthawing / reheating? Thanks: it’s so good I don’t want to mess it up!
If I premade this, how would you recommend reheating it coming out of the fridge? In oven? Temp? How long? And will it still be just as good and not dried out? Thank you!
I would just pop it in the oven at 350 until warmed through. It shouldn’t dry out – the filling is pretty moist!
This was a success! I made the Thanksgiving Vegan Lentil Strombolli for a Friendsgivung Potluck today. The sweet cranberry base definitely complimented the salty flavors in the lentil mixture. I will be repeating this dish. Thank you so much for the recipe! Continue to be encouraged with all of the great work that you do.🩷 Be Blessed My Sister.
It smelled like thanksgiving and the non-vegan eaters came back for seconds! This was excellent paired a side of cranberry and a side of roasted butternut squash. I’d make this for a crowd!
Could you make this beforehand and pop in the oven when ready?
Definitely! You just want to make sure it stays covered and chilled so the filling doesn’t leak out and the dough doesn’t dry out.
I made this for the first time tonight. It was DELICIOUS. I added some mushrooms, which were super yummy in it. My teenager insisted on seconds and refused to share, so I’m gonna call that a win!
Wooooo! Teenager approved is definitely a win!
Comforting, satisfying, and hearty. I went along the recipe but omitted the whole veg broth/tomato paste steps and instead added a little bit of veg broth so the mixture was still pretty solid, the end product was a so rich and flavorful that I couldn’t stop eating the leftovers. What a great recipe!!!
This was a hit at thanksgiving, thank you! I used dried brown lentils and canned whole berry cranberry sauce. It seemed to be a bit too much filling, but I was also nervous about overstuffing it on my first try with this recipe.
It reheated well for leftovers, and I could definitely see using variations on the spices and sauce (chutney?) also being delicious.
So glad you liked it Elaine! And yes, the filling opportunities are endless. So many ways to switch it up!
Made this to try out for Thanksgiving. Delicious. Thanks
Awesome! So glad you liked it Ross!
Just popping in to say thank you for this recipe! It is amazing as written and I’ve made it several times that way and always get compliments. There’s truly nothing wrong with this recipe! I’ve also done the following riffs: curry inspired using chutney, curry powder, and cilantro. Greek inspired using vegan tzatziki, red onion, oregano, etc. and French onion using onions caramelized in vegan butter, vegan beef broth, and vegan cheese. And I have so many ideas for more riffs that I can’t wait to try out (everything bagel, pizza flavored, za’atar spiced…gosh, the possibilities are endless)!
Thanks so much Shauna! I love all of your variations!
When making ahead of time, im worrying that the crust will get soggy in the bottom? It stays crispy when reheating? Reheat in foil or just on parchment?
The bottom should be pretty browned after you initially bake it, so you shouldn’t have any issue with it getting soggy. But you can use foil or parchment paper when reheating.
Help please!! Id like to make this for Saturday (our thanksgiving meal) but found out there are TONS of different types of lentils…which kind did u use in this recipe? Im sure any will work but id like to use what u did??
I used brown lentils – the pre-cooked ones from Trader Joe’s. I would go with brown or green! Hope you love it!
If I make this at home and take it to family’s house will it survive a 40 min drive? Would it be better to prepare n bake it at family’s house?
You can definitely bake it ahead of time and just reheat in the oven once you get there!
Do you use the fresh refrigerated cranberry sauce or the jarred cranberry sauce from Trader Joe’s? Thanks! This looks delicious!
I used the fresh one!
I’ve made the Vegan Stromboli several times and it is always a huge hit; even with guests that are meat eaters. It’s always delicious!
Thanks Michelle – this is great for a party!
I made this for thanksgiving to bring to a friends and even the meat eaters loved it!!
I am making it again for Christmas in our home. We love it!! It tasted like the fall and winter holidays!!
I love this recipe. It has become one of family’s favorite. Thank you 😊
Has anyone tried this using crescent roll dough?
My family said they loved this recipe but we are WFPB AND oil and fat free. Could I substitute apple sauce or water for your oil and vegan butter?
I’ve made this recipe now for two thanksgivings and it’s delicious especially the lentil filling which I’ve made several times over the past year just for dinner. I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill GF Pizza Crust which makes it substantial but also heavy thank goodness for the gravy! Going to try a different crust next year!!Keep it up❣️
Thanks so much Lauren!
I made this for Thanksgiving today and it was delicious! I prepped some pizza dough and the filling ahead of time so it was easy to assemble day of. Really a great recipe in terms of flavor and presentation payoff, and it was very easy to do! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it Chloe!
Made this for my work thanksgiving potluck as there were no vegetarian options, everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and several people asked for the recipe. I substituted puff pastry so adjusted baking temp and time for that also used butter so made it vegetarian rather than vegan. It was the absolute star of the show in a very meat/ dairy heavy lineup. Thank you for this awesome recipe. Will make it again.
Yaaaay! So glad it was hit! And I love the idea of using puff pastry for this!
OMG, this is so good! The flavor is delicious, the texture perfect. Thank you for a recipe that will be on our “must repeat” list.
So glad you enjoyed it Kelley!
I tried to check a lot of the comments but didn’t see this question. I apologize if I missed one.
Can this be pre-made and then frozen?
Thanks!!
Yes! Just pop it back in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through.
Hi! Can you make this ahead or parbake?
Hi Dani – yes, you can even make the whole thing ahead of time and just reheat it in the oven for 10 minutes.
I loved this so much, especially the lentil filling. So much so that I sometimes just make the filling and then put it in a muffin tin and make individual lentil cups that I can use in meal prep.
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!!
Yayyyyy – I’m so happy to hear it was a hit Lisa!
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!
I buy mine cooked. But you could make them from scratch too!
I used the pre-cooked package from Trader Joes, and it was DEELISH!!
Love their lentils!
Trying this for Thanksgiving this year. Have you tried using puff pastry?
I am wondering about puff pastry too. It’s probably not vegan.
I’ve always been able to find vegan puff pastry – just check the label!
I haven’t tried it with puff pastry, but it should work!
OMG – had this for Thanksgiving last year and it turned out AMAZING! A definite addition for a new tradition.
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!” 🙂
hahaha – that is amazing!!!
Made this tonight and it came out SO good! Would definitely make again!
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
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!
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!
Hi! Do you think gluten free pie crust would work?
Hi Shannon – I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work. Let us know how it goes!
What color lentils?
I used brown lentils.
We aren’t cranberry relish fans, so I’m going to try a mango chutney or some other chunky jam. Wish me luck!
Hi! Did you used canned lentils? What color lentils? So excited to make this for thanksgiving!
I used refrigerated lentils – they were brown lentils.
Do you think this can be made ahead of time?
It definitely can. I made one, froze it, and reheated it in the oven on Thanksgiving. Still tasted great!
Not a huge of cranberries, any recommendations for a substitution? Will the recipe be fine without it?
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!