Vegan Lentil Loaf! This plant-based lentil loaf recipe is packed with healthy vegetables, spices and of course- lentils! Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Place half of the cooked lentils in a large bowl. Place the remaining half of the lentils in the base of a food processor and pulse ~10 times to create a rough lentil paste. Add this to the large bowl.
Add in the walnuts to the food processor and pulse to create a finely chopped walnut. Add this to the large bowl.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add in the garlic, celery, carrots and mushrooms and cook another 10 minutes until the vegetables are very soft and almost caramelized.
Stir in the apple, thyme, oregano, sage, paprika and salt to the skillet and cook another minute or so, then add the entire mixture to the lentil bowl.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper for easy removal.
Stir in the flax seeds, balsamic vinegar, bread crumbs to the lentil mixture and stir to combine. Slowly add in the flour, ~1-2 tablespoons at a time until a mixture forms that isn't crumbly. It should easily hold together when pinched. Taste, adding salt/more seasonings/pepper as desired.
Press the lentil mixture into the loaf pan, pressing down the sides to even out. Whisk together the remaining glaze ingredients: ketchup, balsamic, maple. Taste, adding splashes of more vinegar/syrup as desired to create a tangy, sweet glaze as desired. Pour over the glaze, spreading in an even layer.
Bake for ~50 minutes until loaf if set. Remove and let cool for at least 15 minutes before removing and slicing. Allowing the loaf to cool slightly will make for easier slicing.
Notes
*This recipe comes together really fast if you use your food processor to prep the ingredients. Use the food processor to finely mash some of the lentils, to finely chop the walnuts and vegetables and to shred the apple and carrots.** Lentil loafs can be fairly tricky, so I don't recommend subbing out ingredients as you want a good balance of flavor and moisture. Taste as you go- this is the best way to figure out the salt and spice level that's best for you and your family! The mixture needs to be easily held together in a pan, it shouldn't be crumbly.*** I make my own oat flour by placing rolled oats in a blender/food processor and whizzing until a rough flour is created. I find that oat flour doesn't get as gummy as using an all-purpose flour does in these kind of loaves.We love this most with my mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach!