Fancy Lentil Loaf
This remix is a vegan take based on a 1988 recipe, "Plain & Fancy Meatloaf," from Cookin’ Cheap from Blue Ridge Public Television. Serves 6-8. Ingredients marked with a (v) can also be substituted with vegan versions. Note from Scott: Larry Bly and Laban Johnson hosted Cookin’ Cheap for over 20 years. They were funny, and sometimes featured a toy "kitchen witch" that would fly onto the set carrying letters from viewers. It was unpolished, yet engaging, local television at its very best.
Recipe Ingredients
- For the loaf:
- - 3 cups cooked lentils (equals about 1 pound)
- - 2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
- - 1 cup chopped walnuts
- - 1 cup quick cooking oats
- - 1 cup chopped onion
- - 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- - 1 1/4 teaspoon salt (divided)
- - 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- - 1/4 cup steak sauce
- - 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- - 1/4 cup tomato paste
- - 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- - 1 teaspoon butter (v)
- For the glaze:
- - 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- - 3 tablespoons red wine (this is what makes it fancy)
- - 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Recipe Instructions
For the loaf:
- Over medium heat, sauté mushrooms, onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 10-12 minutes.
- In a food processor, pulse walnuts and oats until they’re finely chopped.
- In a large bowl, add the walnuts/oats mixture, lentils, the onion/mushroom mixture, steak sauce, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, liquid smoke, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- With a potato masher, mash about half the ingredients together. We want to leave about half the lentils whole to give the loaf better texture.
- Grease a large loaf pan with butter and add the loaf mixture. Pack it in there!
Making and incorporating the glaze:
- Whisk together tomato paste, red wine and brown sugar.
- Add half of the glaze to the top of the loaf.
- Bake the loaf in a preheated 400 degree oven for 60-75 minutes, or until it’s firm and the glaze looks thick and rich!
- About 45 minutes into the baking, add the remaining glaze and continue to bake until the loaf is done.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes.