Vegan Lentil Loaf

This vegan lentil loaf makes for a lovely vegan main entree for a holiday meal. It can be prepped 1-2 days in advance and leftovers can be frozen!

Oh boy do I have a treat for you today! It’s a vegan lentil loaf that’s like the meatloaf my mom used to make only with lentils instead of meat. It’s amazingly flavorful and works beautifully as a vegetarian or vegan main-entree for a holiday meal. That said, don’t be surprised if you find the meat-eaters in your life enjoying it as well.

Like traditional meatloaf, this vegan lentil loaf has a sweet and savory tomato-based glaze, but it’s homemade and free of refined sugar. Maple syrup is one of my favorite natural sweeteners and I knew it’s subtle sweetness would pair nicely with the flavors of the loaf so I started experimenting. It gives the loaf the perfect amount of sweetness and a bit of a nostalgic factor for those of us that were served traditional meatloaf as kids. Just remember to use 100% pure maple syrup, not the processed syrups sold for pancakes. Literally the first ingredient on those syrups is corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup… no thanks!

The nice thing about this particular lentil loaf (besides the flavor, which is amazing btw) is that it holds together really well and doesn’t crumble when you cut it for serving.

If you want to prep the lentil loaf ahead of time I recommend prepping it fully, covering it with foil or plastic wrap and keeping it in the fridge for 1-2 days before baking as instructed in the recipe.

Leftovers should keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, but you can freeze the lentil loaf too. To freeze, just bake lentil loaf and let cool to room temperature, wrap slices in foil or plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, thaw slice(s) in the fridge then heat in the microwave or bake in a 275°F oven until the lentil loaf slice has heated through, about 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup dry brown (green) lentils
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/2 large onion (about 1 heaping cup), chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3 Tablespoons tamari
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

MAPLE SWEETENED GLAZE:

• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• pinch of sea salt

Share this post