Vegan Lentil Loaf (GF)

 

by Meghan Newsom
Gluten Free Contributor

I am so happy to be sharing with you guys again this month! If you remember, last month I talked a bit about “What Is Gluten?” , hopefully helping you all understand a bit more about this crazy “g” word you’ve heard floating around in our society lately.

The first (EASY!) recipe I am going to be sharing with you all is a fun gluten free, vegan lentil loaf. It tastes a lot like meatloaf, without the meat! It is hard to recognize the difference!

Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 min
Serves 4+

 Here’s what you’ll need:
 *2 cups red lentils
*4 cups water or broth
*3 cloves garlic, crushed
*1 TBS. olive oil
*1/2 C parsley, coarsely chopped
*1/2 C walnuts
*1/2 C GF breadcrumbs (use few slices of GF bread crumbled)
*1/2 C ketchup
*3 TBS tamari sauce (GF soy sauce)
*1 tsp oregano (or any Italian seasonings you’d like to add)

 Here’s what you’ll do:

 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin with placing red lentils and water/ broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low and simmer, covered until the lentils are cooked and mushy.. about 30 minutes.

 2. Meanwhile, sauté crushed garlic in olive oil.

 3. In a food processor, pulse walnuts and parsley until finely ground. Put aside. When lentils are done, add walnut mixture onion mixture and all remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.

 4. Scoop into a bread loaf pan (will most likely fill up two pans) and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before you serve. If you like meatloaf with the glaze on top, you can mix ketchup with brown sugar and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

The “meatloaf” goes great with GF mashed potatoes, sautéed kale, green beans, or a simple side salad. Us southerners often eat meatloaf sandwiches, so it could be great packed in a lunch with some GF bread and ketchup!