Tasty Lentil Mushroom Meatloaf

I love good, old-fashioned comfort food recipes like this tasty lentil mushroom meatloaf. Being able to make and serve the dishes I was raised on, that our whole family loved, is a delight. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and corn-on-the-cob sides was a regular meal in my family. When Mister Key Lime and I started following a vegan diet, one of the things I made early on was a lentil mushroom meatloaf. At the time, there weren’t many vegan meat substitutions available. My, what a difference a few years makes! Even though a meatloaf can now be made with a processed vegan “meat,” I still prefer the lentil mushroom recipe. The ingredients are pure and simple. You know what you’re eating! And you can’t beat the flavor.

This recipe is straightforward. To begin, you must first cook the lentils, enough to make 2 cups after they’re cooked. Before cooking the lentils, rinse them in a colander and sort through them to remove any bad lentils or small pebbles. Next, fill a pot with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Add the lentils and reduce to simmer until the lentils are soft, but not mushy, still holding their shape. Drain off the water. The cooking time will vary, depending on what type of lentils you are cooking, but my brown lentils take between 15 and 20 minutes to become tender.

You can play around and find your own favorite sauce to top your tasty lentil mushroom meatloaf.  Or you can use mine, also included in this recipe. Just like with barbeque sauce, some people prefer a sweeter, more ketchup-y sauce, using more brown sugar. Some like it to be more like barbeque sauce. Some cooks even add mustard.

The leftover meatloaf slices make amazing meatloaf sandwiches, with sautéed onions and green peppers, and a marinara sauce topping. I have a great homemade marinara recipe! I’ve included the details on my meatloaf sandwich making here.

Print Recipe

Tasty Lentil Mushroom Meatloaf

A delicious meatloaf with a tomato-y topping, perfect with a side of mashed potatoes or other vegetables. Makes great meatloaf sandwiches!

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American

Keyword

almond flour, bell pepper, carrots, celery, cremini mushrooms, dried thyme, lentils, old fashioned oats, onion, soy sauce, thyme, tomato paste, vegan Worcestershire sauce, yellow onion

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Servings

slices

Ingredients

For the barbeque sauce ketchup topping:

• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 tablespoons barbeque sauce
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 3 pinches garlic powder
• 3 pinches onion powder

For the meatloaf:

• 3/4 cup green or brown lentils dry, cooked to make 2 cups
• 1 cup yellow onion finely diced, about 1/2 onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for sautéing
• 1/2 cup carrots diced, 1 to 2 carrots
• 1/4 cup celery chopped, about 1 stalk
• 1/4 cup bell pepper chopped, about 1/4 large bell pepper
• 8 ounces Cremini mushrooms cleaned and sliced
• 1 cup old fashioned oats uncooked
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Bragg's aminos or coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons vegan Worchestershire sauce or additional soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• salt & pepper to taste

Course Main Dish Cuisine American Keyword almond flour, bell pepper, carrots, celery, cremini mushrooms, dried thyme, lentils, old fashioned oats, onion, soy sauce, thyme, tomato paste, vegan Worcestershire sauce, yellow onion Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 1 hour Servings slices Ingredients For the barbeque sauce ketchup topping: 3 tablespoons ketchup 3 tablespoons barbeque sauce 2 teaspoons brown sugar 3 pinches garlic powder 3 pinches onion powder For the meatloaf: 3/4 cup green or brown lentils dry, cooked to make 2 cups 1 cup yellow onion finely diced, about 1/2 onion 2 tablespoons olive oil for sautéing 1/2 cup carrots diced, 1 to 2 carrots 1/4 cup celery chopped, about 1 stalk 1/4 cup bell pepper chopped, about 1/4 large bell pepper 8 ounces Cremini mushrooms cleaned and sliced 1 cup old fashioned oats uncooked 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Bragg's aminos or coconut aminos 2 tablespoons vegan Worchestershire sauce or additional soy sauce 2 tablespoons dried thyme 1/2 cup almond flour salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

To make the topping:

1. Add all of the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir to combine well. Set aside.

To make the meatloaf:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly oil a loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a paper overhang on each side for removing after baking.
2. In a large skillet, sauté the onion in olive oil until medium tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the carrots, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté an additional 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until all vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Place all of the cooked vegetables and mushrooms into a food processor along with 1-1/4 cup of the cooked lentils. Add 1/2 cup of the oats, and all of the tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, soy sauce, and thyme. Pulse a few times, leaving the mix a little chunky. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Transfer the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the lentils, the rest of the oats, plus the almond flour. Stir until the mixture is blended and holding together.
6. Shape the lentil mushroom mixture into a ball and place it into the prepared loaf pan, spreading evenly. (I like to make an indentation down the middle of the loaf to hold additional topping.)

   
7. Cover the top of the loaf with the barbeque sauce ketchup topping. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with your favorite vegetables as sides.

   
8. This meatloaf will keep up to a week in the refrigerator. Serve leftovers on sandwich buns with marinara sauce for delicious meatloaf sandwiches.

   

Recipe Notes

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