Hey guys, sorry it was a bit quiet on here last week, we were getting ready for and working our (Hero Design Studio) Pop-Up Shop over the weekend. It went super well and I can’t wait to share some photos from the event with you guys. I am a bit behind on recipe posting from being so busy last week, so look for lots of new recipes this week!
I am super duper excited to not only share this new recipe with you, but to also be the guest blogger at Healthful Pursuit today! If any of you follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, you will probably remember my extreme excitement about 2-weeks ago when I finally got this Lentil “Meat” Loaf recipe right. I had messed around with a few different versions, but no matter how delicious my loaves tasted, they just didn’t want to stay together, they ended up being a crumbly, sloppy mess on the plate when I would serve them. I finally got it figured out and I couldn’t wait to share it with anyone who would listen, it’s that good.
When Leanne, from Healthful Pursuit, contacted me to share a recipe on her blog with her readers while she is on an incredible trip to India, I was in the middle of experimenting with this recipe, so I knew this was the one to share. Plus, knowing it would be out there in front of even more people, it gave me an even more incentive to try to get it right and perfect.
Leanne’s blog has always been one of my favorites, I found her through her comments on my blog about a year ago and I was always so inspired by what she was making in her own kitchen. In addition to having a similar approach to health and well-being as I do, as a Holistic Nutritionist, Leanne, also has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to foods, eating and our health. Finding Healthful Pursuit brought a wonderful new breath to my cooking and has affirmed all of my decisions about food. I promise after just one visit to HP, you too will be adding it to your bookmarks.
This Lentil “Meat” Loaf pretty much sums up so many of my feelings for food. It is healthy, comforting, satisfying and you won’t feel like you are missing out on a thing when you eat it. It is hearty without being heavy and it is packed full of foods that are great for you. In addition to all of that, the most important thing to me is that it stayed together when I sliced it and it looks beautiful, instead of a lumpy pile on the plate 
This lentil loaf is almost a little meaty and is sure to satisfy even the meatiest of meat-lovers in your family, I promise. My hubby, Mark, LOVED it. He even made up a song for it. Reheat a slice or two of this loaf up in a cast iron skillet to get it a little toasted on the outside and toss it on your favorite gluten-free (or not) bread, with a little more BBQ sauce and some pickled red onions for a delicious “meat” loaf sandwich. The perfect hearty and healthy lunch.
In addition to the loaf, I also made a delicious and spicy vegan BBQ sauce to go on top. You could certainly use your favorite store bought BBQ sauce, but I urge you to try making your own, even if just one time. It is much easier than you think, you can skip all the gross refined sugar or corn-syrup laced store brands and you can tweak the ingredients to have a taste that is all your own. My BBQ sauce is a tad bit spicy (you can make it as spicy as you’d like), a little tangy and just a tad bit sweet. I love it.
This recipe was originally shared on Healthful Pursuit.
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds Preheat the oven to 375º. Add the ground flax seeds to a small bowl, pour the boiling hot water over and stir to combine well. Set aside and allow it to thicken and cool. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5-8 minutes until the onions are tender. Add in the mushrooms and cook another 3 to 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender, add in the thyme and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce, stir to combine and turn off the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, if it needs it. Process 1 1/2 cups of the cooked lentils and1/2 cup of the oats in the food processor until smooth (some whole bits may remain, that’s ok). Spoon the mixture into a large bowl, add in the remaining lentils and oats, plus the flax “egg”, almond flour and vegetable mixture. Stir really well to combine. Then get your hands in there, just like you would with a regular meat loaf or meatballs, and make sure it is mixed and mashed together really well. Spoon the mixture into a parchment paper lined 9″ x 5″ loaf pan, (leave a bit of the parchment paper hanging over so you can easily lift the loaf out when it is cooked). Using your hands, you really want to press it in good. Brush on the remaining 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce over the top. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes at 375º. Cool in the pan for about 5, pull the loaf out by grabbing the sides of the parchment paper and lifting up and allow it to cool for another 5 to 10 minutes on a cooking rack. Slice and serve.
Makes about 8 slices
6 tablespoons boiling water
2 cups cooked green lentils, cooled and split into 1 1/2 cups and 1/2 cup
1 cup mushrooms, diced
2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, split in half
1/2 cup almond flour
3/4 cup spicy vegan BBQ sauce (see below)
1 tablespoon olive oil Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onion is slightly tender, add the garlic and saute for another minute or two. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine, reduce the heat to a medium-low and allow to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often. Taste the sauce and make sure you don’t want more of anything, you may want it more sweet, spicy, sour, salty. I like my BBQ sauce tangy and smoky, so I added another 1/4 cup of vinegar and another teaspoon of liquid smoke. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes, then puree until smooth in the food processor or blender.
Makes about 1 quart of sauce
1 large onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon celery seed
24-ounce jar of strained (or crushed) tomatoes (or a 28-ounce can)
7-ounce jar of tomato paste (or a 6-ounce can)
2 tablespoons Sriracha (if you don’t like spicy, you can skip this, add less or use just a pinch of two of red pepper flakes instead)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks great! Though I am not the biggest fan of BBQ sauce – though your sauce does look good! If I were to leave out the BBQ sauce… Do you think the recipe would still if more liquid was added? (Ie. more boiling water)
Thanks Danielle, I would just add in some ketchup or crushed tomatoes or something. You could even add in mustard. You’ll be able to feel if the mixture is too dry and crumbly and yeh, worst case you can always just add in some water.
Thanks for your response! Those are good suggestions.
Looks perfect, much better than any of my lentil loaf attempts.
Thanks Kalinda. Making the perfect lentil loaf may be one of the toughest things I have ever tried to get right in the kitchen. Who knew?
just found your blog thru leanne’s webpage. i can totally relate to your digestive issues. it’s been a 3+ year battle for me and i am finally starting to find some relief after cutting out the sugar and gluten too. have your symptoms completely dissipated now?
Hi Junia, thanks for making your way over here! Nice to have you. I would say my major symptoms have dissipated and now I just have the occasional upsets. I definitely find that some veggies and grains (likely those high in fiber) definitely can leave me feeling a bit gassy and bloated, but it is always temporary and nothing too terrible, but overall I really feel so much better. Thanks again for visiting, I hope you come back again
Beth!!! this looks sooooo good!! i will DEFINITELY be making this, this weekend, and I will post a picture on instagram to show you!!! thank you!!
Thanks Nidia. Yes definitely post a pic, I can’t wait to hear what you think of it.
Holy yum! This looks delicious
Thanks Meesh! It is definitely as tasty as it looks. Promise.
Love this idea to make lentil meatloaf! I made some lentil tacos last week that were amazing, so now I am on a big “eat more lentils” kick. Heading over to check out the recipe now!
Yum lentil tacos, what a great idea. I am really obsessed with lentils, they are great in so many different things.
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to check out the recipe. And VEGAN bbq sauce?! I can seriously eat bbq on EVERYTHING. You’ve given me a project for the weekend..yay!
xo
pre
That BBQ sauce is amazing, and I like to make my own too…commercial varieties can have some nasty ingredients! I am betting the flax egg did your binding for your loaf…but looks really good too! thanks for sharing with us again (AFW)!
This lentil meatloaf looks really delicious Beth. Love that it is gluten-free + vegan.
We are a family of lentil lovers! I’m defo trying this tonight! Looks amazing!
This loaf looks seriously good, Beth! I love lentils and, I might add, barbecue sauce.
Thanks so much for linking up to The GFE Virtual Gluten-Free Support Group. I love how you displayed the big badge … it’s a thrill to see it in use this way!
Shirley
Healthy meat loaf! These would be a wonderful treats for our next party.
Love your blog and I’m making this tonight! I’ll blog it and cite you when I’m done. Looking forward to keeping up with your cooking xx
Wow. Need to try this! Been looking for a good vegan loaf for a while! Very cool that Leanne (from Healthful Pursuit) went to India. I’ll have to read about that while I’m fetching the recipe.
At this time it seems like Expression Engine is the best
blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
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