Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf

Last week was cold and blustery and we had a hankering from some real comfort food. Growing up we used to have meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, but not that we are vegetarians actual meatloaf was definitely out of the question.  

My wife has made lentil loaf several times in the past, but it doesn't really taste very good (sorry honey), so after doing a Google search for vegan meatloaf, I can across a recipe posted on eat, live, run that looked pretty good.

I was hopeful that this would turn out fairly good. Lately we have come across several recipes such as raw tacos and vegan meatballs that use walnuts in place of meat and those dishes are extremely delicious! 

We made this for dinner last week and were blown away by how tasty it was! 

This is by far the best meat(less) loaf we have had!

Ingredients:

1 cup green lentils
3 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 large yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 stalk celery
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 tbsp ground flax mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

for topping -

2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the ground flax and 1/2 cup water and set aside.

Simmer together the lentils, broth and a pinch of salt for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and have absorbed all the broth.

Prepare your veggies. Chop the onion, grate the carrot and dice the celery. Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil over medium high heat for six minutes or until tender, not caramelized. Add the garlic and carrot and cook for about four minutes.

Toast the walnuts in the oven for six to seven minutes. Add them to the onion/carrot/garlic mixture and stir well.

Add the oregano, salt and pepper as well and take the mixture off the stove and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the breadcrumbs, flax/water and cooked lentils and toss well. Press the mixture into a greased loaf pan and set aside while you make the topping.

In another small bowl combine the ketchup, maple syrup and vinegar. Spread on top of the loaf and bake for 40 minutes.

We served it with mashed potatoes, vegan gravy and broccoli and it really hit the spot on that cold blustery day! This recipe is definitely a keeper!

~Rob~

Shared at:

The Backyard Farming Connection