Vegetarian Dishes
Jewelled Squash, Chestnut and Mushroom Wreath
Recipe No. 0667
A ring of tender butternut squash slices wrapped around a savoury filling of roasted squash, chestnuts, mushrooms, red lentils, pecans and sage, baked and turned out like a wreath, then brushed with a maple and orange glaze and scattered with dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, pistachios and parsley. Fully vegan, with no pastry to worry about.
- Serves 8
- Vegan
- 2–2.5 litre ring (bundt) tin
- British
- Hands-on 1 hr
- Roast 30 min, bake 45 min at 190°C
- Make the filling 1 day ahead
Method
Before you start
- Choose a squash with a long, solid neck: the neck gives the even slices that line the tin.
- The squash, lentils and mushroom mixture can all be cooked the day before and kept in the fridge (see Make ahead).
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan), 400°F, gas 6 for the squash; it drops to 190°C (170°C fan), 375°F, gas 5 for the bake.
- Oil the ring tin well, including the centre column.
- Check the labels on the bread, soy sauce and dried cranberries: most are vegan, but recipes vary.
- Have the probe thermometer, a palette knife and a large flat serving plate ready.
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan), 400°F, gas 6 and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Peel the squash (1.3 kg). Cut the solid neck across into thin rounds, then cut those in half: about 3 mm thick, so they bend. You need about 24 half-moons. Scoop the seeds from the bulb and cut it, and any leftover neck, into 1.5 cm cubes.
Lay the slices on one tray in a single layer, brush with 1 tbsp of the oil and season lightly. Toss the cubes on the other tray with the rest of the oil (3 tbsp), the rosemary, salt and pepper. Roast the slices for 10–12 minutes, until just bendy but not browned. Roast the cubes for 25–30 minutes, until tender and catching at the edges. Toast the pecans (75 g) on a corner of a tray for the last 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, simmer the rinsed lentils (100 g) in the water (300 ml) for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until they have collapsed into a thick purée. Leave to cool.
Heat the oil (2 tbsp) in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook the red onion and celery for 8–10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then turn the heat up, add the mushrooms (300 g) and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until all their juice has gone and the pan is dry. Stir in the sage, thyme and soy sauce (1 tbsp) for 1 minute, then take off the heat.
Turn the oven down to 190°C (170°C fan), 375°F, gas 5. Oil the ring tin generously, right up the centre column. Line it with the squash slices, overlapping them like roof tiles and laying them across the ring, from the outer rim over the base and up the centre, so there are no gaps.
In a large bowl, roughly mash about a third of the roasted squash cubes with a fork; this helps bind the filling. Add the rest of the cubes, the lentils, the mushroom mixture, chestnuts (180 g), pecans, breadcrumbs (100 g), gram flour (50 g), apricots (50 g), orange zest and nutmeg. Season well, taste, and mix thoroughly. A handful should hold together when squeezed.
Spoon the filling into the lined tin and press it down firmly, pushing it well into the curve. Fold any overhanging squash slices over the top. Cover the tin tightly with oiled foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, then take off the foil and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the top is firm. A probe thermometer in the centre of the filling should read at least 75°C. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes to settle: this is what lets it turn out cleanly.
While it rests, warm the maple syrup (2 tbsp) with 2 tbsp of the orange juice in a small pan and let it bubble for 1 minute.
Run a palette knife round the outside and the centre of the tin. Put a large flat plate on top, turn the whole thing over and lift the tin off. Brush the wreath all over with the warm glaze, then scatter over the cranberries (50 g), pomegranate seeds, pistachios (25 g) and parsley leaves, like jewels on a Christmas wreath. Slice with a serrated knife.
Tip: tap a step to tick it off as you cook.
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Turning it out
- No ring tin? Use a 23 cm springform tin with a well-oiled ovenproof ramekin or small heatproof bowl standing in the middle. Line both with the squash in the same way.
- Rest it. The 15 minutes in the tin are not optional: the gram flour and lentils need to set as it cools a little.
- If a slice sticks, just lift it off the tin and press it back into place before glazing. The jewels hide any patches.
Make ahead, freeze and reheat
- The day before. Roast the squash, cook the lentils and the mushroom mixture, cool them quickly and keep them covered in the fridge. Or line and fill the tin completely, cover and chill; bake from cold, adding 10 minutes to the covered time.
- Freeze. Cool the baked wreath (without the jewels), wrap it in slices and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat. Cover with foil and heat at 180°C (160°C fan), 350°F, gas 4: about 35 minutes for the whole wreath, 20 minutes for slices, until piping hot (75°C in the centre). Add the glaze and the jewels after reheating.
- Leftovers. Keep covered in the fridge and eat within 2 days.
Serve it with
- Roast potatoes cooked in sunflower oil, and roast vegetables.
- Cranberry sauce (use orange juice instead of the port to keep it vegan), and a vegan gravy: our Onion Gravy made with oil instead of butter, vegetable stock instead of beef stock and no Worcestershire sauce.
See also
Chef’s notes
- This is the dish to make when vegans and nut-roast sceptics are at the same table. It looks the part, and there is no pastry to go soggy.
- Gram flour is the binder here instead of egg. It thickens and sets as it bakes, and it gives a gentle savoury flavour.
- Nut-free: leave out the pecans and pistachios, and add another 75 g of chestnuts instead. Chestnuts are not on the UK list of allergen nuts, but a few people with nut allergies do react to them, so check with your guest.
- Gluten-free: use gluten-free bread for the crumbs and tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Pomegranate seeds come out easily if you hold the half cut side down over a bowl and tap the skin hard with a wooden spoon.
Shopping list for 8 portions
Fruit & veg
Tins, jars & stock
Baking
Oils, vinegars & sauces
Fresh herbs
Store cupboard (check you have)
A Cookeryonline original recipe, November 2026.