Plant-Based Lentil Loaf Recipe | Vegan Meatloaf Substitute
Welcome back to my kitchen, where today we're making a mouthwatering plant-based lentil loaf. If you're new here, I'm Cassidy, and I share easy vegetarian recipe videos every single week. This week, we're diving into the world of vegan meatloaf substitutes and creating a lentil loaf that's filled with flavor, texture, and plant-based goodness.
To start, we'll need to cook our lentils. In a sauce pot, add one and a half cups of rinsed dry brown lentils and four and a half cups of vegetable broth or water. Bring it to a boil, then simmer and cover for 15 to 20 minutes until the lentils are tender. Drain off any excess water or broth.
Next, we'll use a food processor to process four ounces of white mushrooms and half of a large white onion until they're broken down into quarter-inch pieces. Saute the mushroom and onion mixture in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and half a teaspoon of salt for about six to eight minutes. Add half a cup of raw walnuts and pulse until mostly broken down.
Now it's time to enhance the flavors. Add three tablespoons of tomato paste to the skillet and cook for an additional two to three minutes. For the binding agent, let's make some oat flour by processing rolled oats until they're mostly broken down. Alternatively, you can use breadcrumbs. Alongside the oat flour, prepare two flax eggs by combining two tablespoons of ground flaxseed with six tablespoons of water. Let it rest for five minutes.
To bring the lentil loaf together, we'll pulse the cooked lentils and a can of chickpeas in the food processor until the lentils are mostly broken down. In a mixing bowl, combine the lentil-chickpea mixture, two teaspoons of soy sauce, two teaspoons of vegan Worcestershire sauce, one tablespoon of brown sugar, one tablespoon of nutritional yeast, one teaspoon of red pepper flakes, half a teaspoon each of black pepper, chili powder, and smoked paprika, and one teaspoon of oregano. Add the oat flour, flax eggs, and the mushroom mixture for a meaty and flavorful blend. Mix everything together using your hands until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled 9x5 loaf pan, shaping it into a loaf. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
While the lentil loaf bakes, let's make a classic meatloaf glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together half a cup of ketchup, a quarter cup of light brown sugar, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, one tablespoon of spicy brown mustard, half a teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder.
Once the lentil loaf is ready, brush the glaze on top for that irresistible meatloaf finish. Allow the loaf to cool slightly before slicing and serving. Each bite will be packed with savory flavors, satisfying textures, and a hint of sweetness from the glaze.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
- 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 4 ounces white mushrooms
- 1/2 large white onion
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- Rolled oats or breadcrumbs for oat flour
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 can chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Loaf pan
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Cooking steps:
- Cook the lentils: In a sauce pot, combine rinsed lentils and vegetable broth/water. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes. Drain off excess liquid.
- Process the mushrooms and onions: Use a food processor to chop the mushrooms and onions into quarter-inch pieces. Saute in a skillet with olive oil and salt for 6-8 minutes.
- Add walnuts and tomato paste: Pulse raw walnuts in the food processor until mostly broken down. Add the walnut mixture and tomato paste to the skillet and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Prepare oat flour and flax eggs: Process rolled oats or breadcrumbs in the food processor to create oat flour. In a separate bowl, combine ground flaxseed and water to make flax eggs. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Pulse lentils and chickpeas: In the food processor, pulse the cooked lentils and canned chickpeas until mostly broken down.
- Mix all ingredients together: In a mixing bowl, combine the lentil-chickpea mixture, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, black pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, oat flour, flax eggs, and the mushroom mixture. Mix everything together using your hands.
- Form the lentil loaf: Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled 9x5 loaf pan, shaping it into a loaf.
- Bake the lentil loaf: Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, light brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, spicy brown mustard, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Glaze the lentil loaf: Once the lentil loaf is baked, brush the glaze on top for a classic meatloaf finish.
- Slice and serve: Allow the lentil loaf to cool slightly before slicing and serving. Enjoy the savory flavors and satisfying textures!
