Vegan butternut & pecan spiral pies
Make a festive meat-free centrepiece using shop-bought filo pastry for ease. The squash filling is packed with umami notes thanks to miso paste and soy sauce, plus a touch of maple sweetness
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Prep:25 mins
Cook:1 hrs 15 mins
- Serves 7
- More effort
Nutrition per serving
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kcal 364
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fat 25g
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saturates 7g
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carbs 27g
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sugars 0g
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fibre 6g
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protein 5g
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salt 0.95g
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash (about 1kg), cut into 2cm cubes (800g prepared weight)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions , finely sliced
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp brown rice miso paste
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- pinch of chilli flakes
- 25g parsley , finely chopped
- 100g pecans , roughly chopped
- 75g vegan butter alternative , melted (or use regular if there are no special dietary requirements)
- 7 sheets filo pastry
Method
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the butternut squash pieces with 1½ tbsp oil and a good pinch of salt, and spread out over a baking tray. Roast for 25 mins until softened and a little caramelised.
Meanwhile, fry the onions with a pinch of salt in the remaining oil over a medium heat for 15 mins until soft and lightly browned. Lightly pound the coriander seeds using a pestle and mortar, then add to the caramelised onions. Cook for another 2-3 mins.
Stir the miso, maple syrup, soy, chilli and squash into the onions. Lightly crush about a quarter of the squash with the back of the spoon, then stir through the parsley and half the pecans, and leave the mixture to cool. Will keep chilled for up to two days. Finely chop the remaining pecans.
Brush the base of a 27cm pie dish or round baking tin with some of the melted vegan butter.
Unwrap the filo but keep it under a tea towel to prevent it from drying out. Lay one sheet on a work surface and brush it with melted butter. Roughly divide the squash filling into seven equal portions in the pan (this will give you an idea of how much to use for each filo swirl). Scoop one portion out of the pan and arrange it along one of the longer lengths of the pastry. Scatter a few of the chopped pecans over the rest of the exposed pastry, then loosely roll into a long sausage. Coil the pastry into a spiral, being careful not to tear, and tuck in the end. Put in the centre of the dish.
Continue making the pastry swirls in this way, arranging the others around the dish until you’ve used up all the filling and pastry. Brush the top with more melted vegan butter and scatter over any remaining pecans. Will keep covered and chilled for up to two days, or frozen for a month. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Bake for 25-30 mins (or 40 mins from frozen) until golden brown and piping hot. Serve one spiral per person.


