Thanksgiving is nearly here! I?ve always looked forward to the holiday. When I was little we spent the weekend with family in Ohio and it was always so much fun. I didn?t even mind sitting at the kid?s table! There were the usual dishes and fanfare – turkey, football, and the Thanksgiving Day parade. It?s been over 10 years since I?ve eaten meat and each holiday season I look forward to making something new to share with my family and friends. This year, I?m proud to present the main course: Herbed Butternut Squash Wellington.

For a while I would order the Native Wellington from Native Foods for Thanksgiving. It?s incredibly delicious and extremely generous in size. I?d have leftovers in my fridge for days, and I definitely didn?t mind. This year, I decided to try my hand at a homemade version of that Native Wellington and I think I nailed it. This Herbed Butternut Squash Wellington is stuffed with lentils and roasted veggies and wrapped in flaky puff pastry. Just add a drizzle of mushroom gravy and you?ve got a hearty, satisfying main dish for the big meal.
This Herbed Butternut Squash Wellington looks impressive, but it?s actually not difficult to make. If you can boil water and roast vegetables, the filling will come naturally. The only tricky part is making the proper cuts for braiding the puff pastry. You can make as many or as few as you?d like. I had better results with fewer cuts, about 5 per side. I think my photos demonstrate the method better ...