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Extreme Vegan Makeover: Spinach-Stuffed Roast Edition

When special occasions arrive, there is usually an impressive entrée presented to the table. Vegans may find themselves choosing between a Tofurky roast or Field Roast, both of which are very good. But if you want to really impress your guests, make your own creation. This is a delicious vegan version of a spinach-stuffed roast I used to make which was always a hit but since this is Vegan, it’s even better!

I’ve been making seitan for a while now but other than forming it into cutlets or cutting it into strips, I hadn’t been very creative with it. Then I thought, “Why can’t I make a huge piece of seitan and stuff it like a roast?” So I did. It has a very “meaty” texture so if you’re missing that, great. If that’s not your thing, I have another version (which I’ll post next time) that is softer (and easier to make). Yes, it’s time consuming (especially since it will taste better if you make it the day before you eat it) but it’s well worth it. You don’t even need to have a special occasion to make it – but I’m sure you can come up with one if you have to – being Vegan makes every day a special day 🙂

Ingredients

For the broth:
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce

For the seitan:
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 cup cold vegetable broth
3 Tbs. nutritional yeast
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. red chile powder
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. black pepper

For the stuffing:
1 (10-ounce) package chopped frozen spinach
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
Sea or Kosher salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
¼ cup vegan cheese, mozzarella flavor

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Next, prepare the seitan. Bring broth and soy sauce to a boil in a large covered pot.

In a large bowl mix together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast and spices. Add the olive oil and mix in with a wooden spoon or fork. Add broth, soy sauce, and garlic. Mix with the spoon or fork until it forms a dough. Then use your hands and knead for a few minutes, until it stretches. Knead and shape it into a large rectangle. Use a rolling pin, if necessary, to get it as thin as possible. Cover it with a cookie sheet or pan and put some heavy cans on it to weigh it down and keep it thin while you prepare the stuffing.

Defrost spinach in microwave. Drain liquid and wring chopped spinach dry.

Place a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to hot skillet. Add garlic to oil. Add onion and red pepper, cook 1 minute. Lower heat to medium. Add the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Add bread crumbs and nutritional yeast to spinach. Turn off heat. Let stuffing cool.

Place a layer of vegan cheese on the seitan, then add the spinach stuffing in a thin layer. Roll the seitan, trying to keep all the stuffing inside, as tightly as you can. Lay the rolled seitan in a casserole dish, seam side down. Fill casserole dish with the broth.

Bake for about 45 min. to an hour, basting the seitan roast often, until it looks brown and yummy and the cheese is all gooey. Carefully remove the roast from the broth-filled casserole dish and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

  Note: it is best to make this the day before and let the roast rest in the broth overnight. Then reheat and slice it. The texture will be better.

Enjoy!
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9 Responses to Extreme Vegan Makeover: Spinach-Stuffed Roast Edition

  1. Vicki September 6, 2013 at 1:46 pm #

    Ok, thanks! I read somewhere that tapioca starch can be substituted, but it didn’t work well for me in a seitan recipe I tried. Can’t wait to see your alternative recipe for this!

  2. Vicki September 6, 2013 at 12:19 pm #

    Hi. This sounds delicious!!! Is there anything that can be substituted for the vital wheat gluten flour? Thanks!

    • Rhea September 6, 2013 at 1:41 pm #

      Hi Vicki, this is a seitan dish that I made long before I went gluten-free. Seitan is made of vital wheat gluten. There is no substitute for it. Sorry. I am working on creating my own gluten-free alternative but it’s still in the testing phase.

      • Rhea September 6, 2013 at 9:22 pm #

        No, Vicki, not for seitan. In gluten-free baking, tapioca starch is used to give products the stability it would have gotten from the gluten in wheat flour. But it cant give the elasticity and chew. Xanthan gum does that somewhat. and in cooking, tapioca starch is like corn starch, it thickens like in gravies, etc.

        But seitan is completely different. It’s not that gluten is an ingredient. It is THE ingredient. Seitan is gluten. That’s why it has the texture and chew of meat. You can’t make it with anything else.

  3. Rhea Parsons December 27, 2011 at 2:35 am #

    vegangster, I’m so glad you liked it. I’m sorry about not having the temp. As you can see, I was new at this recipe writing at the time. I probably have mistakes all over. Really need to go back through and edit.

    I probably did it at 400 or so. I have a tendency to use high temps. Thank you for your feedback!!

  4. vegangsterARNP December 26, 2011 at 2:06 pm #

    I ADORED the flavor and this food so much I was ooooohing and ahhhhhhint the entire meal. Just one question I have for you: what is the temperature? Ours came out a bit underdone, (which wasn’t that bad, because it tasted like heaven), but i would love to know. we did it at 375, but probably should use a higher temp? thank you so much for the recipe. we also substituted frozen spinach for fresh kale and chard, a green pepper for red, and we didn’t have bread crumbs, we used garlic powder instead of fresh (none in the house). oh my that was the most delicious food i have eaten in a long time.

  5. Katy June 4, 2010 at 12:45 pm #

    Thanks for all of the photos too! This looks great! 🙂

  6. NewGilmoreGirl June 4, 2010 at 5:54 am #

    Okay, that seriously looks amazing. Thanks for sharing this!

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