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!
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!
Tip: try using ground sirloin for an extra special twist!
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 weapon.
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. However, if you love mushrooms, I suggest trying chopped portobello or shiitake. I like to buy a mixed variety for this.
- 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.
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. This mushroom mixture is divine, however!
To REALLY impress, make 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!
Tip: try substituting Brie, Provolone, or Gouda for the Mozzarella.
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!
Can you make a ground beef Wellington in advance?
Yes! But only for about 12-24 hours. Make up the wellingtons without the final egg wash and put them into the fridge as soon as they are finished. Baste them 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.
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 :).
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…
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!
easy Ground Beef Wellington Recipe
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.
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!)
- 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
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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187 thoughts on “Ground Beef Wellington Recipe – looks & tastes fancy…so easy!”
If you have frozen your individual wellingtons, do you thaw them before cooking?
Honestly, I’ve never personally frozen them prior to cooking. But yes, I believe you would need to or the centers wouldn’t properly cook. I would let them thaw in the fridge until you are certain the beef is thawed but don’t let the pastry come to room temp (it will lose it’s flakiness). Then proceed. Be mindful you may need ot add another 5 -10 minutes to the baking time to account for the cold temp.
I have made these a few times now. They are very good.
I’m just wondering how you would reheat the leftovers the next day?
I recommend reheating them in the oven, if you have the time, so the pastry remains flaky.
Have you ever used sautéed onions instead of mushrooms?
I have! In fact, I often use both.
Just made this last night and was very impressed. We made a true beef wellington for Christmas and found that it was not worth the hassle, but this was so easy and definitely delicious! Will be making again for sure!
Made this last week and another batch is in the oven as I write this review. I absolutely LOVE this recipe and I use Grape Juice because I have no Wine in the house. It’s delicious and Family approved! I have a 3 yr old who clears her plate. Thank you for this recipe!