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Chanty

The Best Lentil Loaf | Vegan, Gluten Free

Lentil, mushroom, veggie meatloaf, firms up beautifully with no gluten, eggs or cheese.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
saute time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

FOR THE LENTILS
  • 1.5 cups green lentils rinsed/ sorted ***need 3 cups cooked lentils
  • 2 cups veggie broth
  • 1 tbsp no salt seasoning blend
FOR THE REST OF THE LOAF
  • 1 onion chopped *** I use a food processor to small dice all veggies. Roughly chop them before processing.
  • 3 carrots peeled/ chopped
  • 4 small celery stalks chopped
  • 8 oz crimini mushrooms or use a blend of different varieties
  • 1.5 tbsp poultry seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2-3 tsp liquid aminos or other low sodium soy sauce
  • 6 tbsp gluten free flour- I like Trader Joe's brand for this OR sub a combination of oat flour and arrowroot starch
  • 3/4 cup walnuts- ground up in food processor SUB raw sunflower seeds for nut free option
  • 3 packed tbsp ground flax seeds dry, do not add water

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • loaf pan
  • Skillet for sautéing veggies

Method
 

  1. 1. Rinse and sort 1.5 cups of dry lentils. Add lentils, veg broth and no salt seasoning to instant pot and pressure cook for 8 mins with a quick release. If you don't have an instant pot- simmer lentils with broth and spices on stovetop for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain out any remaining liquid once done cooking. For best results do this step the night before and refrigerate overnight.
  2. 2. Chop up all veggies into small dices. I use a food processor for this step. Add one veggie at a time to the food processor and pulse til you get small diced pieces, be careful not to over process. Set diced veg aside in a bowl and repeat the process with the onion, celery, mushroom, carrots.
  3. 3. Grind up walnuts (or sub sunflower seeds) in a food processor til finely crumbled. It should resemble breadcrumbs.
  4. 4. Preheat oven to 350. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (or coat with olive oil). Set aside.
  5. 5. Heat up a saute pan on the stove top to cook the veggies. Use 1 tbsp olive oil or veg broth for oil free. Cook the minced onion, celery, carrot and mushrooms til they are soft and most of the moisture has cooked off- about 12-15 minutes
  6. 5. Transfer veggies to a large mixing bowl. Add in the poultry seasoning, pepper, liquid aminos, gluten free flour, walnuts and ground flax. Mix well to combine. The mixture should not be too wet.
  7. 6. Transfer mixture to loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. It will firm up as it cools down. Let cool before serving for best results.
  8. Make gravy to go along with this recipe (see mushroom gravy recipe on my blog)

Notes

SUBSTITUTIONS:
For nut free use raw sunflower seeds in place of walnuts. Blend into crumbly powder.
In place of gluten free flour- use 4 tbsp packed oat flour plus 2 tbsp arrowroot or corn starch. 
Don't use red lentils- they will be too mushy.