Rather than using an expensive steak cut like the Gordon Ramsey version, this ground beef wellington recipe uses easy to find, inexpensive ground beef and puff pastry sheets. But don’t be fooled…it is utterly delicious and decadent. Try it with the mushroom gravy for the ultimate in easy, special dinners the whole family will love!
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Have an Air Fryer? Try the Air Fryer Ground Beef Wellington Recipe. Same recipe adapted for the Air fryer.
Or for a fun twist, try our Philly Cheesesteak Wellingtons!
This easy Ground Beef Wellington recipe is one of my husband’s favorites and I pull it out for Valentines Day, anniversaries, and the occasional Sunday evening. Using ground beef keeps this recipe budget friendly and easier to make than the traditional medium rare, beef tenderloin steak in the center version you often see. Your family will love it, also!
Some of us (ahem, me) would love to be able to count on a recipe to repeatedly deliver awesome flavor and LOOK AMAZING every time they make it. Consistently. Without fail.
This is that recipe. Master this recipe and you will have a gorgeous meal in your back pocket whenever you need it.
The best part is that mastering this recipe isn’t a difficult thing. Easy! You have puff pastry sheets as a secret help.
Puff pastry works fantastic for making a fresh tomato tart or fresh berry tart. Give those a try! You will appreciate having easy and beautiful recipes to pull out, especially for days when company stops by. Keep puff pastry dough in the freezer just for those times!
Easy Ground Beef Wellington for the win!
Your main ingredients:
- Ground beef– I recommend using an 85/15 or 90/10 fat content. You don’t want your beef super lean or it won’t provide the moisture needed BUT too fatty and you’ll get a soggy bottom crust.
- Mushrooms– Go ahead and stick with the easy to find bella mushrooms to keep it easy and budget friendly. If you want to up the game in this recipe, sub out button mushrooms for crimini or portabella. You’ll get a bit earthier flavor and an impressive-looking dish from using more variety.
- Onion and basil– To keep this simple and approachable I use onion and basil in this recipe. Both easy to find and most of you have on hand. You can swap it out for shallots, parsley, thyme, or green onions if you prefer.
- Red wine– Red wine is used for the mushrooms to cook in and provide fancy and rich flavor. You could use beef broth if you prefer non-alcoholic. Sub out sherry, white wine, or even a brandy if you prefer.
- Butter – Butter, real honest to goodness butter, helps provide the richness to this dish. Sure you can sub olive oil but I totally wouldn’t the first time you make this!
- Puff pastry– This recipe’s timing is designed around puff pastry, the star of the show. The pastry is flaky, buttery, and absolutely amazing! You CAN sub pie crust or phyllo dough (read the comments for tips from others that have done so) but I would recommend trying to stick with puff pastry, if possible.
What wine would you suggest?
I like to use my fave Cabernet so I can drink it at the same time ;). Try using Marsala for a great rich flavor!
Can I substitute crescent rolls for the puff pastry?
Yes, you can follow the recipe exactly as written except bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.
How can I amp this recipe up even more?
- Wrap the ground beef in prosciutto before putting it on the puff pastry.
- Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the beef mixture.
- Stir in a teaspoon or two of horseradish to the beef mixture.
- Add Fresh thyme to the mushroom mixture (Duxelle)
- Include 2 chopped shallots with the onions in the mushroom mixture (Duxelle)
- Include frozen peas and carrots in the beef mixture.
- Use ground sirloin for an extra special twist!
- Substitute Brie, Provolone, or Gouda for the Mozzarella.
This mushroom mixture is divine, however!
To REALLY impress, we are adding a Duxelle.
What is Duxelle?
It is simply mushrooms, garlic, and some thyme pulverized in the food processor and cooked up on a saute pan with some olive oil.
You can sub out the mozzarella cheese for another soft white cheese for another great way to make this recipe even more impressive. But let me tell you, don’t feel for one second that making this recipe straight up the way it is written will give you a sub-par result. It won’t. This is delicious!
Tuck a few fresh herbs into the mixture to amp up the flavor even more! Fresh thyme is my personal favorite but you’ll find that basil and rosemary are delightful, as well!
To get the slits into the top of your dough without making a mess be sure to use a SHARP paring knife. Don’t skip basting the little wellingtons with a bit of beaten egg yolks or milk. The egg wash helps to take the bundles from great to AMAZING!
Puff pastry filled with ground beef might be one of the best little recipes ever. But hey, there is nothing wrong with knowing MORE easy little recipes…
Head’s up! If you, like me, are always on the look-out for easy, fast, and DELICIOUS family meals you NEED this cookbook from Ree Drummond. Sooo good! I’m pretty sure you will want to kiss me after you get this and try some. It makes my life so much easier! This and puff pastry :).
This recipe takes about 30-40 minutes to cook which gives you a good amount of time to get them in the oven and work on your side dish, while it cooks. And, of course, don’t forget to serve up your ground beef wellingtons with some great red wine (why not use the same red wine for cooking this dish AND drinking with this dish :)).
Try serving this delicious recipe with Perfect Mashed Cauliflower…tastes just like mashed potatoes and don’t miss my trick for making it work every time!
Can I make this ground beef wellington vegetarian?
I haven’t tried substituting my veggie burgers for the beef, in this recipe. However, if you feel confident that your veggie burger mixture can swap in for ground beef — go for it. Come back and let me know how it works out!
Can you make a ground beef Wellington in advance?
Yes! But don’t keep them longer than 2 days. Make up the wellingtons without the final egg wash and put them into the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, as soon as they are finished. Baste them with the egg wash and cook them while fully cold. Add an additional 10-15 minutes to the time, to account for the extra chilly temperature they are when they go in.
Can I free Ground Beef Wellington to cook later?
Yes! Follow the recipe exactly but don’t add the egg wash. Instead, wrap the wellingtons in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag. When ready to serve, thaw overnight and then follow the cooking directions, add an additional 10-15 minutes to account for the cold temperature.
How do I reheat Ground Beef Wellingtons?
Wrap your wellingtons with foil and bake at 350 in the oven for about 25 minutes or until warm. Baking them in the oven will keep your pastry flaky.
Can I make this as a single large roll instead of individual wellingtons?
Instead of splitting your puff pastry into 4 individual squares instead, use both sheets. Turn the beef mixture into one large roll of beef (think about the shape of meatloaf), set it on the 2 puff pastry sheets, wrap it up with the seam side down, brush it with beaten egg, and cut slits across the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes instead of 25 to 30 minutes.
easy Ground Beef Wellington Recipe
| 8 servings
Prep Time | 30 minutes mins
Cook Time | 35 minutes mins
Total Time | 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
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this version of the classic Beef Wellington uses ground beef for a less expensive and easier version. Perfect for a budget-friendly, special meal!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 4 tablespoons saltine crackers or bread crumbs, crushed
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley fresh works best, if you have it!
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cream milk works fine, as well.
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion chopped fine
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms
- 1/2 cup red wine or grape juice
- 1 teaspoon basil fresh works best, if you can.
- mozzarella cheese optional
- 2 sheets puff pastry thaw out according to the pkg
- salt and pepper, to taste.
Check out our Kitchen Reference Guide for help with unfamiliar terms.
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the first 6 ingredients together well. Set aside.
In a large saucepan melt the butter. Add minced onion and mushrooms.
Cook on medium high heat until mushrooms sweat and onions are translucent.
Turn the heat down to medium while you add the garlic, red wine, and basil.
Turn the heat back up to high and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced. Remove from heat. Cool.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet or baking pan.
On a lightly floured surface lay out the pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 4 squares
Spread mushroom mixture across each square. Top with thin layer of mozzarella cheese
Put 1/2 cup of meat mixture (formed into flattened balls) on top.
Pull corners up over meat and pinch edges together. (don’t worry if this is tricky, it is for everyone…it isn’t just you!) Tip: use beaten egg to help "glue" your seams together if they aren't holding well.
Put the bundles on a cookie sheet with seam side down. Cut small slits on top and brush the tops with cream or beaten egg.
Bake for 30-40 minutes (at 400 degrees) or until golden brown and meat is cooked through.
Serve with brown gravy, if desired.
Video
Notes
(I like to add 1/2 cup of red wine to the gravy, it adds so much to the flavor of this recipe!)
Nutrition
Calories: 670kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 22gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 634mgPotassium: 472mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 230IUVitamin C: 1.7mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 4.1mg
I shared this with my son and he couldn’t get over how delicious this was. In my opinion it’s better than regular beef Wellington, and more affordable.
Very delicious! And really not too much of a hassle to put together. I appreciate the tip of adding red wine to the gravy, too! Such richness of flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Make sure you come back here and let me know how this recipe turned out for you. We love to hear about the special dinners and events that so many of you are making this recipe for.
