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This Vegan Meatloaf is filled with lentils and other simple whole-foods ingredients. It’s simple to make and so deliciously like classic meatloaf without being mushy at all! I really love this is a meal-prep recipe but it’s fun for special occasions as well.
I’ve been working on this recipe for a long time and I’m SO excited to finally be sharing it!
The real question right now: am I crazy for planning holiday recipes already!? Because I definitely have this one planned for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.
While there are a few steps to making this loaf, it’s ultimately SO super easy to throw together. For ease, I really like to use the pre-cooked lentils from trader joes OR cook my lentils the night before just so it’s one less step. From there, it’s a simple matter of sautéing the vegetables a bit and then processing everything in a food processor.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
First, let’s go over the ingredients in this lentil loaf!
What we’re working with:
- Brown or green lentils (but not red!)
- Quick cooking oats
- Flour- all purpose or oat flour work well in this recipe
- Veggies- carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and garlic
- Ground flaxseed
- A few simple seasonings
I kept the topping classic and simple. It consists of ketchup, mustard, and a bit of brown sugar. It gives the vegan meatloaf a super traditional taste that really reminds me of my childhood!
If desired, you could swap the brown sugar for coconut sugar.
Well that’s all I have for today. As usual, if you end up making this recipe,
See how to make the Lentil Loaf here:
Vegan Meatloaf
Ingredients
For the lentil loaf:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ of a small white onion, diced
- 1 carrot, chopped*
- 1 rib of celery, chopped*
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 ounces of cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups of cooked green or brown lentils, do not use red as the loaf will end up too mushy**, divided
- 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt + 1/2 teaspoon of pepper + more to taste
- 1 cup of quick cooking oats
- ¼ cup of all-purpose flour or oat flour
- 1 tablespoons of soy sauce
For the topping:
- 1 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of mustard
- ¼ cup of ketchup
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9×5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and saute for 8 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- To the base of a food processor, add in HALF of the cooked lentils, slightly cooked veggie mixture, flax seed, Italian seasoning, salt + pepper, oats, flour, and soy sauce. Pulse about 10 times until it is combined and just small chunks of carrot remain (see photo for reference).
- Add in the remaining lentils and pulse 3-4 more times. Some large chunks of lentils will remain and that’s what we want.
- Spread the lentil mixture evenly into your prepared loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients: brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup. Spread the topping evenly over the top of the lentil loaf.
- Bake the loaf for 35-40 minutes or until it starts to darken around the edges. Let the loaf cool for at least 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan, slices and ENJOY!
Hello Brita, I was wondering could you use canned Lentils in this dish??
I think that this will work but I honestly have not cooked much with canned lentils. But I don’t see why not. Please let me know how it works out! I love this recipe!
New to Vegan! Meatloaf had a very good flavor, reminded me of dense
turkey dressing. Texture was not there for us. Is there something that could give it
more texture?