These golden and flaky Swiss chard and mushroom stuffed puff pastries are easy to prepare and make a great appetizer, mid-day snack or main dish! They are vegan and can be adapted to whatever extras you want to throw in!
Is puff pastry vegan?
While the traditional recipe for puff pastry calls for butter, most commercially produced puff pastry uses shortening. I have also seen some newer products advertised as palm oil-free which use sunflower oil instead of shortening.
So while most puff pastry is vegan, it’s always a good idea to read the ingredients, even if it’s a product you have bought before as the ingredients can sometimes change. Watch out for butter, lard, milk or eggs.
You’ll also see a lot of chemical-sounding names that you may not be familiar with. Try downloading a barcode scanning app like Is It Vegan (or another) or buy a product that’s on this list of vegan puff pastry brands.
If you’re really ambitious, you can make your own homemade vegan puff pastry.
How to cook Swiss chard
Swiss chard isn’t as common as spinach or as trendy as kale but it’s a delicious leafy green full of nutrients. As we all know, you should be eating leafy greens every day and if you’re struggling with recipes, check out my 50+ Vegan Leafy Greens Recipes post for some inspiration.
There are many different ways you can cook Swiss chard. Lots of recipes call for boiling it but my favourite way is to sauté it with onion and garlic.
Since the stems are tougher than the leaves, you’ll want to separate them first. The stems are totally edible and a bit similar in texture to celery. They just need to be cooked a bit longer than the leaves so I throw the diced stems into the pan after the onion is cooked.
Once the stems are tender, throw in the shredded leaves. Similarly to spinach, Swiss chard will cook down quite a bit. For that reason, you’ll start with a very large quantity of chard and you’ll need a big pan. I used my wok as it’s my biggest pan. You can also cook Swiss chard in batches if it doesn’t all fit in your pan at once.
The leaves are a bit thicker and sturdier than spinach so it needs more time to cook than spinach. I like to do it over medium-low heat and you don’t need to stir is constantly while it cooks, just occasionally, until it’s tender.
How to make these Swiss chard and mushroom stuffed puff pastries
As with all the recipes on this blog, I tried to keep this one as simple and easy as possible with minimal ingredients.
Once you have sautéed a large bunch of Swiss chard with onion and garlic, and a package of vegan puff pastry, the only ingredient missing is mushrooms.
I seared the mushrooms separately from the chard as I prefer to cook mushrooms over medium-high heat in order to get them nice and brown before turning down the heat to cook the chard leaves a bit more slowly.
Since I love the flavour of Swiss chard on its own, the only seasoning I added was salt and pepper. However, if you want to give it a little extra something special or seasonal, try a pinch of nutmeg. A drizzle of sesame oil would also be interesting for more of an Asian feel or some oregano or thyme for a Mediterranean profile. Feel free to use your favourite seasonings!
Now that the filling is ready, cut your puff pastry into squares or small rectangles. My puff pastry comes pre-rolled and measures 13 x 10 inches (32.5 x 25.5 cm). If yours is smaller, you can gently roll it out a bit larger.
Cut both sheets into 9 pieces. Mine did not make perfect squares but rather rectangles. It doesn’t matter as long as you can get 9 pieces.
Spoon the filling onto half of the pieces. I tried to pack the filling as tightly as possible so as to get well-filled pastries. Top with the other half of the puff pastry pieces and seal them with a fork.
Since this is a vegan recipe, I did not use an egg wash. As you can see, the puff pastries came out nice and golden anyway.
After about 30 minutes in the oven, these Swiss chard and mushroom stuffed puff pastries are ready to devour!
Swiss Chard and Mushroom Stuffed Puff Pastries
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil divided
- 10.5 oz (300 grams) button mushrooms finely diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 ½ cups finely diced (185 grams) Swiss chard stems
- 2 cloves of garlic finely diced
- 8 lightly packed cups (about 320 grams) chopped Swiss chard leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A few grinds of pepper
- 2 sheets puff pastry
Instructions
- In a large pan (I used a large wok) heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and allow them to brown on one side. Stir and brown on the other side. Remove to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the second tablespoon of oil and the onion. Fry until soft and transparent and then add the diced Swiss chard stems. Fry, stirring often, until tender. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds or until soft and fragrant.
- Lower the heat to medium low and add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Toss and stir as they begin to wilt. If your pan isn’t big enough, you might need to add the leaves in batches. Allow the leaves to cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender – about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C or as indicated on the package of puff pastry.
- Cut both sheets of puff pastry into 9 squares or rectangles. The brand of puff pastry I use comes pre-rolled and measures 13 x 10 inches (32.5 x 25.5 cm). If yours is smaller than this you can gently roll it out on a lightly floured counter.
- When the chard is tender, turn off the heat, stir the mushrooms back in and season with salt and pepper. Let cool for a couple of minutes until you can touch it without burning your fingers.
- Spoon the filling over half of the puff pastry pieces. I tried to pack it together with my fingers in order to have well-filled pastries. Top each with a second piece of puff pastry and seal the edges with a fork.
- Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until puffy and golden brown or for the length of time indicated on the package of puff pastry.
Notes
Shirley Tucker says
Is there a vegan puff pastry available?
Melissa says
Yes, you'll find a list here: https://thrivecuisine.com/lifestyle/vegan-puff-pastry-brands/. There are others as well, just check the ingredients.
CNM says
Super easy to make and tastes amazing!
Sarah C. says
Hi I loved your recipe! I found that adding fresh LEMON juice really unlocks the flavor! and adds brightness to the dish. I had to share that with you Cheers!
Melissa says
Great tip, I'll try it next time :).
Tonya says
This puff pastries were amazingly moist and flavorful, a quick appetizer to enjoy any day of the week.
kate says
How many days ahead of an event can these be made? Can they be frozen. Do we make the filling first and bake the next day if I'm short on time?
Melissa says
They're best fresh because the pastry will soften as they sit. Yes, you can make the filling first and bake the next day, that's a good idea.