Meatloaf without the meat!
Recipe by Chelsea Winter.
One of my friends shared a recipe with me, for a meatless meatloaf. It is a winner. It got the dish of the day on Christmas day. The funny part…the self confessed carnivore raved about it. The dish is vegetarian. Lentils got a good wrap for a change.
The prep is a bit long but the results are worth it. I’d love your feedback on the dish. Give it a go. I’d love to hear what you think of it.
Serves: 10
Prep: 1 hour
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried brown lentils (or use 1 x 400g can)
- 1 large kumara (about 450g), peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 300g shiitake or portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 stalk rosemary, leaves very finely chopped
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or breadcrumbs
- 5 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp of miso paste
- 2 tsp vegetable stock powder
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 11/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp finely ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp kelp powder (optional)
GLAZE
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce (or use extra tomato sauce)
- 2 tbsp malt/apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp real maple syrup
Make it Gluten Free
Ensure that your oats/breadcrumbs, stock powder, miso paste, soy sauce, BBQ sauce are GF. Use apple cider vinegar instead of malt vinegar.
Tips
If you can find dried shiitake mushrooms, use 80g and soak in warm water until soft. Drain, chop finely and add to mixture.
You can shape the loaf freehand on a baking tray lined with baking paper, just as you would with a normal meatloaf. This means you get more glazed surface, but you won’t get the chewy outside bits.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-bake (190°C regular bake) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Rinse the lentils, place in a medium size saucepan and cover with plenty of salted water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until tender – about 25 minutes – and drain. (If using canned, just drain them.)
Arrange the kumara on a baking tray and drizzle all over with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Bake for 25 minutes, or until tender.
Add 1/4 cup oil to a large frying pan or flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and gooey. Add the mushrooms, garlic, rosemary and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until the veggies have reduced right down and the mushrooms are tender – around 10 minutes. Leave to cool slightly.
Place the nuts and seeds in a large food processor and pulse until you have a chunky crumb. Transfer to a large mixing bowl along with the oats or breadcrumbs, tomato paste, miso, stock powder, tamari or soy sauce, salt and pepper and kelp powder (if using).
Tip the kumari, lentils and cooked mushroom mixture into the food processor and pulse until you have a slightly chunky mixture – not a paste, but processed enough to stick together well. Scrape down the sides a couple of times as you go to combine it better. Add to the bowl with everything else and use your hands to mix the ingredients together evenly.
Press the mixture into the loaf tin and smooth out the top. Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and brush the glaze generously over the top of the loaf.
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes, glazing again once or twice during cooking.
Leave to cool in the tin for 15-20 minutes, then slice very gently with a sharp knife. Or it can be stored, well sealed in the fridge until you need it. Reheat at 170°C for 20 minutes or so. It’s easier to slice when it’s cooler.
