Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie

Just because we're vegan, doesn't mean we EVER miss out on all the delicious and fun food over Christmas and the Holiday period. This is where a show-stopping, party dish like this Vegan Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie comes in! Seriously, we're proud to say that everyone has gone mad for our wreath pie (including us!), which we just adore serving up to our vegan and non-vegan friends and family. You must of course serve these with my AMAZING Crispy Roast Potatoes.

this recipe

This recipe does take a little bit of prep, but that's kind of the point of Christmas food, you take care over it, then bear it triumphantly to the table, to ooohs and ahhhs... before cutting into the masterpiece you have made and sharing it around. The centrepiece of the show needs to be pretty, and impressive.

🥣Equipment

Some key equipment to mention for this Christmas Pie are:

The tin - if you have a bundt tin, or one of those tins with a middle insert, you can use that to create the wreath shape. We didn't, so we improvised with a spring-form 24cm/9 inch cake tin & a little bowl in the middle, which worked perfectly well. These loose bottom (i.e. springform tins) are really great for easily getting pies and cakes out, so we highly recommend them for other recipes.

Food processor - for the pesto. It doesn't have to be state of the art, but I love my MagiMix food processor.

Pastry brush - this really does make life so much easier when slicking oil on the pastry.

🍄Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for this gorgeous vegan Christmas pie recipe:

Filo pastry - the best pastry in my opinion, as it's cheap, always vegan, and can go in the freezer.

Cranberries - a typical festive ingredient. You can use fresh or frozen.

Cooked chestnuts - these can be bought in long-life packets. While they're a festive ingredient, we love them all year round!

Chestnut Mushrooms - these form a substantial part of the pie. Chestnut mushrooms have an almost meaty texture, and a good umami (savoury) flavour.

White wine - adds a delicious flavour to the mushrooms. Make sure your wine is vegan - we love Proudly Vegan Wines. Promise we won't judge you if you drink some during the cooking process!

Olive oil - featured in several of the layers of this vegan Christmas pie, but key for slicking on the filo pastry for that crunch!

Garlic - because all pies must have garlic!

Kale - for the pesto layer. This could be made with other leaves of course, such as basil or even the ends of celery.

Pine Nuts - traditionally in pesto, but you could use another nut if you don't have or don't like pinenuts. I really like walnuts or pumpkin seeds as a substitute.

Nutritional Yeast - for that cheesy taste of the pesto.

Butternut Squash - gives lovely body and colour to this Christmas Pie! It's also a filling and festive ingredient.

Smoked paprika - to give a little smokiness to the butternut squash.

Thyme - a great herb for giving your mushrooms extra flavour.

👩🏽‍🍳How To

This vegan Christmas Pie full of mushrooms, squash and other festive ingredients needs to have each layer made separately, and then the masterpiece can be assembled. Here's how to do it.

Prepare the mushroom, squash and pesto layers:

• Sautee your mushrooms with the garlic, thyme and white wine.
• Roast the butternut squash with the smoked paprika, olive oil and salt. Once done, mash it a bit with a fork or potato masher.
• Make the kale pesto by blending kale leaves, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, salt, olive oil and garlic.

Prepare the pastry and the tin:

• Put a ramekin in the middle of your tin.
• Cut the filo pastry into long triangles, and slick with olive oil.
• Place the triangles of pastry in the tin, with the larger ends on the outside. You can slick with pastry before or after they go in the tin.

Assemble the pie with its layers:

• Add the kale pesto.
• Add the mushroom layer.
• Add in the butternut squash.
• Sprinkle on the chestnuts and cranberries.

Finish your Christmas Pie with a pastry top:

• Fold down the pieces of pastry on the ramekin in the middle of the Christmas Pie.
• Add more pastry layers to the top so the pie is fully covered. Scrunch some up with olive oil so it has a nice ruffled top.
• Put in the oven for 25-30 minutes. If it's not nice and crispy it can go in for a bit longer.
• Once cooked, take off the outer part of the tin, and serve up with the best vegan roast potatoes and gravy.

❓FAQs

Some questions it might be helpful to answer on this delicious vegan Christmas pie!

🍽️Serving

Well, we just have ALL the ideas and recipes for what you can serve with this amazing vegan Christmas mushroom, squash and chestnut pie! Here are our favourite side dishes:

Vegan Christmas Tempeh 'Sausage' Stuffing Balls

Vegan Cauliflower Cheese 'Christmas Trees'

Cranberry, Chestnut and Tofu Facon Brussel Sprouts

The Best Vegan Crispy Roast Potatoes

The Best Vegan Gravy Recipe

📖 Recipe

Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie

The perfect vegan pie for a Christmas Festive Main. Full of delicious vegan ingredients. A show stopper for all your guests!

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4.86 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Christmas, Vegan

Keyword: butternut squash, christmas, dinner, filo pastry, main, pie

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 441kcal

Author: Louise-Claire Cayzer

Equipment

• Round 24cm/9 inch spring form cake tin (or a bundt tin)
• Pastry brush
• food processor
• Ramekin / small bowl (to create the centre of the wreath, if you don't have a bundt tin)
• Baking Tray

Ingredients

MetricUS Customary

To Assemble the pie

• 250 g filo pastry (about 1 pack or 7 sheets)
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 100 g whole, fresh cranberries (frozen is also fine)
• 100 g cooked chestnuts (roughly chopped)

For the Mushroom layer

• 500 g chestnut mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 80 ml vegan white wine
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• pinch salt

For the Kale Pesto Layer

• 250 g kale (leaves only)
• 50 g pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• pinch salt

For the Squash Layer

• 1 medium butternut squash (peeled, seeds taken out and chopped into cubes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch salt

Instructions

For the Butternut Squash

• Add all the squash ingredients into a large baking tray and roast on a medium heat (200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6) until soft and a little browned.
• Roughly mash the roasted squash with a masher.

For the Kale Pesto

• Add all pesto ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until you have a chunky paste. Add more oil or salt if needed.

For the Mushrooms

• Add all the mushrooms & garlic into a large pan with the olive oil.
• Gently fry until the mushrooms shrink. Then add the wine & herbs.
• Cook until the liquid mostly evaporates. 

To Assemble the Pie:

• Open out the packet of filo pastry & cut the filo pastry into thin triangles (as pictured). You can cut all the layers together. 
  
• Slick the layers of filo pastry with olive oil and oil the tin. If you are using a little ramekin or bowl to create the centre of the wreath, oil that too. It is much easier if you use something to create your centre.
• Assemble layers of pastry in the base of the dish: lay the larger end of the triangle on the outside edge, the pointy side facing the 'hole'. The pastry should be long enough to go over the edges of the tin. (This will help form the lid of the pie later)
  
• Keep layering until the whole pan has 2-3 layers of pastry over it. Add extra oil on some layers if they're a bit dry. 
• Now, fill the 'wreath' with the fillings.
• First, smear your kale pesto on the pastry.
• Add the mushrooms layer.  
• Then add your layer of the mashed butternut squash.
• Sprinkle over the chestnuts and cranberries.
• Finally, carefully close the all the edges of the filo pastry over the filling. You will need to do this bit by bit.
• If there are any gaps in the top of the pie, add some strips of extra pastry. You can also add a few more pieces of pastry ruffled up with a little oil for that crucnhy wreath topping!
• Finally, brush with extra oil & bake in the oven until crispy and golden. About 20 minutes at around 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.

To Serve

• Remove the outer ring from the wreath & take the ramekin or inner bowl out from the middle.
• If the pastry is looking a little soggy, add the wreath back into the oven for 5 minutes or so to crisp up. 
• Put the whole wreath (bottom of tin and all) onto a pretty plate. Decorate with rosemary sprigs and serve as part of a festive meal! 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 1213mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 17643IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 4mg