Vegan Lentil Mushroom Meatloaf

This hearty vegan meatloaf has the best texture and it's so flavorful! It's loaded with vegetables and lentils, it has a delicious meaty flavor, and it can be served with a tangy tomato glaze or mushroom gravy.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Resting Time 10

Total Time 1 30

Servings slices

Calories 213kcal

Author Stacey Eckert

Equipment

Medium Saucepan
13-Cup Food Processor
9x5-inch Loaf Pan

Ingredients

3 cups water
¾ cup uncooked french lentils rinsed and drained
¼ cup uncooked quinoa
1 medium red onion diced
3 medium garlic cloves minced
6 oz cremini mushrooms diced
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats gluten-free
3 tbsp ground flaxseed
6 tbsp water
¼ cup sunflower seeds or walnuts
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tbsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp salt (add more to taste)
¼ tsp black pepper

Tangy Tomato Glaze

3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 ½ tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, boil 3 cups of water. Add the lentils and reduce the heat to medium. Set a timer for 12 minutes. When the timer goes off, add ¼ cup of quinoa to the pot 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. If there is any water left, make sure to drain it out before you add the mixture to the food processor.
While the lentils and quinoa are cooking, chop the veggies and make the flax egg. Make the flax egg by stirring together the ground flaxseed and 6 tbsp of water in a small bowl. Put it in the fridge to thicken for 10 minutes.
Pour the cooked lentils and quinoa into a large food processor cup. Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic, oats, nutritional yeast, 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 1 minute, stopping every 20 seconds to use a spoon to scrape down the sides. Continue pulsing until all of the vegetables have broken down into small chunks and everything is combined. The mixture should be a little bit chunky. Be careful not to over blend it and puree the filling. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
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. Scoop the lentil filling into the pan and use a spoon to smooth it out evenly all the way to the edges.
Bake the loaf for 30 minutes. While it's baking, make the tangy tomato glaze or mushroom gravy. To make the 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 serving. Put it back into the oven to cook for 20 more minutes.
Carefully take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. This resting time will help the meatloaf to setup. To take the loaf out of the pan, grab both of the parchment paper handles, lift it up, and transfer it to a large plate or cutting board. Spread the rest of the tomato glaze on top and then slice into 1-inch wedges.
Store leftover slices in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or you can freeze it for a future meal. Freezing instructions for slices or a whole loaf are in the Notes below.

Notes

If you don't have a food processor, you can dice all of the vegetables, slightly mash the lentils, and then mix it by hand in a large mixing bowl. The texture might be a little chunkier than if you had used a food processor, but it will still be delicious.
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. It won't stick and easy cleanup! If you don't have parchment, you can spray or rub it with oil.

How to Reheat a Frozen Whole Meatloaf (Cooked) - Defrost the loaf for 24 hours in the fridge. Then transfer it to an oven-safe pan and bake it at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until it's hot all the way through.

How to Reheat Leftover Slices of Frozen Vegan Meatloaf - Put the meatloaf slices in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. Then line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay the slices flat on the tray with one inch of space between each slice. Cook at 400 degrees for 5-8 minutes or until it's hot all the way through.

Nutrition