This vegan beefy seitan roast is easy but a little labour intensive…
it’s totally worth the hassle.
This super delicious yet totally vegan, beefy seitan roast is my new go-to for the holidays! Tender, chewy, savoury with tons of flavour, this badboy has been tried and tested on my Thanksgiving spread and was received with gusto and enthusiasm! I had always been intimidated by seitan, but after getting to know this one particular recipe from Seitan and Beyond (affiliate link), I started to get more comfortable with playing around with seitan. I still have yet to try some others that use beans or chickpea flour, or perfect my blended tofu + gluten roast, but I’m happy to report that this one has been pretty foolproof!
The thing with seitan is that the longer you cook it, the chewier it gets. Cook it for too long though, you’ll reach a point where you’re chewing rubber. Don’t go that far. I cooked mine for 45 minutes in the oven, then about an hour on the stove (I’ve also done it for 45 minutes and it turned out just fine), and it came out to this tender, chewy, but not overly so, roast that slices like meat. It fulfills that savoury craving, that triumphant feeling of cooking your first complicated entree for a family feast. That Ah ha! moment when you realize that cooking for eight isn’t as hard or stressful as you thought it might be.
At least, for me it wasn’t. For some that might sound rather awful but cooking for friends and family gives me this unexpected high that keeps me coming back for more. A little jolt that goes down to my toes that reminds me that I have purpose. Is that sad? That I find purpose in feeding my friends and family? It seems so basic and rudimentary, but it fills me with satisfaction all the same.
If you’re more of a visual learner, check out how I made this recipe (and got a little more disheveled with each hour that passed) from my YouTube video:
Happy holidays and stay tuned for my super simple and easy stuffing recipe :)
Recipe adapted from Chef Skye Michael Conroy’s Seitan and Beyond (affiliate link)
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Ingredients
- 3 cups (750 mL) vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground white pepper
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) onion powder
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) garlic powder
- 1 tsp (5 mL) dried rubbed rosemary
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh rubbed thyme (or 1 tsp dried rubbed thyme)
- 2 1/4 cups (560 mL) water + 2 tbsp mushroom broth powder (or 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth)
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) tamari
- 1 tsp (5 mL) marmite
- 2 tsp (5 mL) worchestershire sauce
- 1 tsp (10 mL) blackstrap molasses
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) oil
- 10 cups (2.5 L) water
- 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
- 2 medium parsnips, roughly chopped
- 2 medium-large carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 ribs celery, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) tamari
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) blackstrap molasses
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) mushroom broth powder
- 1 tsp (5 mL) black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch PER 1 cup (250 mL) of liquid (I used about 3 tbsp in the end)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (or 300F if your oven runs hot like mine does)
- In a large bowl, combine gluten, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary and thyme and stir to combine.
- In another bowl, combine water, mushroom broth powder, tamari, marmite, worchestershire sauce, blackstrap molasses and oil and stir to combine.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir until a wet dough forms.
- Turn onto a clean surface and knead aggressively (I basically punched it multiple times) for about 5-10 minutes until it stretches before it tears apart.
- Roll the dough into a log, tucking in the edges as best as you can. Try to shape it so it will fit inside your simmering pot. Place on a lined, thick-bottomed baking sheet, seam down. Bake for 45-50 minutes until bottom is golden.
- Combine all ingredients in a pot and simmer, covered for 45 minutes. Once 45 min have passed, skim the larger veggies from the broth and add the baked seitan. Cook for 45+ minutes (you can cook for up to 1 1/2 hours) on a very low simmer. Not so low that it's just hot water, but a low, steady simmer with bubbles barely breaking the surface.
- Once cooked, remove the seitan and chill, with 1 cup of broth for 6-8 hours for optimal meaty texture. BUT if you just want to continue cooking to serve, instead place seitan on a baking dish with 1 cup of broth and braise/baste at 325F for 15-20 minutes (30-25 minutes if you're braising a chilled roast) until a light crust forms. Ensure you're basting every 5-10 minutes or so to keep the roast tender and moist.
- Remove from oven and slice to serve.
- Meanwhile, use the strained simmering broth and add 1 tbsp cornstarch per 1 cup of liquid. Cook on medium heat until thickened. Serve gravy with the thinly sliced seitan!
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