Most of us grew up eating our mother’s meatloaf. As a child, my family’s meatloaf was a staple served with mashed potatoes. That was many, many years ago, but it’s hard to forget the comfort of that meal. I have tried many vegetarian/vegan recipes over the years to try to duplicate the texture and taste so I can continue to enjoy it.
This recipe does not include soy crumbles or any other plant-based meats, but I’ve added these as an option under the Melissa’s Modifications section. The grains and mushrooms provide a nice texture and a flavorful taste. The tangy tomato glaze introduces a nice flavor as well, and adding organic ketchup helps make this very close in texture and taste to my childhood memories!
It’s a great dish for the holidays!
To Healthy Eating,
Melissa
Lentil Mushroom Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 3/4 cup Lentils, uncooked Rinsed and drained.
- 1/4 cup Quinoa, uncooked Rinsed and drained.
- 1 small Red Onion Diced.
- 3 cloves garlic Minced.
- 6 oz cremini mushrooms Diced.
- 1.5 cups Old fashioned oats Gluten-free.
- 3 tbsp Ground flaxseed
- 6 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup Sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tbsp Vegan worcestershire sauce Optional use of Braggs Aminos.
- 1.5 tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp Dried basil
- 1 tsp Dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt Add more to taste.
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
Tangy Tomato Glaze
- 3 tbsp Salt-free tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp Pure Maple syrup
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pot, boil 3 cups of water. Add the lentils, set a timer for 12 minutes, and reduce the heat to medium. When the timer goes off, add 1/4 cup of quinoa to the lentils and give it a stir. Set the timer for 12 more minutes, and let it cook until all the water has been absorbed. Let the mixture cool down for a few minutes before you add it to the food processor.
- While the lentils and quinoa are cooking, prep the veggies (roughly dice the red onion and cremini mushrooms and mince the garlic cloves), grind the sunflower seeds, make the flax egg (put it in the fridge to thicken for 10 minutes), and get all of your spices ready to go.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the cooked lentils and quinoa into the food processor. Also add the diced onion, diced mushrooms, minced garlic, oats, nutritional yeast, ground sunflower seeds, tomato paste, vegan Worcestershire sauce, flax egg, Italian seasonings, dried basil, dried parsley, salt, and black pepper.
- The food processor will be pretty full once you add all of the ingredients. Put the lid on and pulse it on high for 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to use a spoon to pull the ingredients from the bottom up to the top. You want all of the ingredients to be blended evenly. Continue to pulse until the mixture is blended together very well but not puréed. Taste the filling to see if you want to add any more salt for your preference.
- Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf-shaped pan with a piece of parchment paper. Let the edges stick out of the pan so you have handles to pull the loaf out of the pan and it won’t stick! Scoop the meatloaf filling into the loaf pan and use a spoon to smooth it out evenly and fill in the edges.
- Bake the lentil loaf for 30 minutes. While the vegan meatloaf is baking, make the tangy tomato glaze or mushroom gravy. To make the tomato glaze, mix together tomato paste, pure maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lentil loaf from the oven and spread half of the tomato glaze over the top. Reserve the rest for when you serve the lentil mushroom loaf. Put the vegan meatloaf back into the oven to cook for 20 more minutes.
- When the lentil mushroom loaf is done cooking, carefully take it out of the oven and put it on top of a trivet to rest for 10 minutes. This resting time will help the vegan meatloaf to set up. After 10 minutes, carefully grab both of the parchment paper handles to pull the lentil loaf out of the pan.
- Cut the vegan lentil loaf into 1-inch slices and serve with your favorite roasted vegetables or potatoes and don't forget the salad!
Notes
Melissa's Modifications:
Use a food processor to blend the ingredients into the perfect texture. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop everything and mix it by hand in a large mixing bowl, but you won't be able to get the same consistency you would if you had used a food processor.
Make sure that you line the loaf pan with parchment paper that goes over the edges so you can pull it out easily after it's done baking. Less cleanup!
Be sure to let the vegan meatloaf sit for 10 minutes after it's done baking so it has time to set up. You can store leftover slices in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future meal.
To get a little meatier consistency, you can add 4 oz. of soy crumbles to the mixture then blend well before going into the loaf pan.
Nutrition Values:
Serving: 1 slice - 213 Calories; 32g Carbs; 11g Protein; 5g Fat; 205mg Sodium; 542mg Potassium; 10g Fiber; 2g Sugar
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
