If you’re looking for something that will please everyone at the table this Holiday Season, you have to try my Holiday Vegan Meatloaf. Not only does it have tons of veggies, whole grains, AND beans … it’s firm enough to slice! And who doesn’t love meatloaf sandwiches!?
This recipe was SUPPOSED to come out last week, but I couldn’t quite get the texture right. To me, meatloaf means sandwiches, and if it’s not firm enough to slice for meatloaf sammies…..well then it’s a fail, no matter how good it tasted.
But this week I fixed the texture issue and it came out PERFECT. My non-vegan wife and daughter tasted it and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up so I hope you enjoy it as well.
No worries, it doesn’t taste ‘beanie’, or ‘grainy’ even. It tastes like the meatloaf that I remember.
And when you pair it with some creamy mashed potatoes & gravy and maybe my Green Bean Casserole….a couple of chewy Potato Rolls, you got Thanksgiving Dinner.
And with that, I wish ALL of you a VERY Happy Thanksgiving.
Now, on to the main event.
Holiday Vegan Meatloaf
We’re going to make this in two stages, the veggies, and then the grains.
Bulgur gives this meatloaf the perfect meat-like texture. So take 1/2 cup of Bulgur and add 1/4 cup water to it and set it aside for now.
To prep all the veggies, I used the chopper that I reviewed in this video.
I had a random Youtube commenter say something like, “I just find it kind of dumb that people make reviews about things they haven’t used at all or hardly at all”.
Uh hello? Excuse me? I DO use this chopper, a LOT. Especially when I have a lot of chopping to do. And this little device made this recipe a breeze, so TAKE THAT BACK!
Amazon links below if you’re interested, and yes I make a few pennies if you buy anything, but at no extra cost to you.
First I sliced my mushrooms and started them off in my sauté pan with a tablespoon of soy sauce. We just want to get them soft to where they release their liquid, than we can add all the other veggies. The liquid is what is going to prevent anything from sticking, so no oil, water, or even veg broth is needed. We want this mixture to be kind of dry when we are done.
While the mushrooms are cooking, I chopped all my other veggies, an onion, 2 ribs of celery, 2 carrots, and a small, peeled, orange sweet potato. All were a nice evenly sized 1/4″ dice, thanks to my chopper. I just left them in the little plastic container as I was chopping and by the time I was done it was full, about 5 cups of perfectly diced mixed veggies.
When the mushrooms have softened a bit and there is some liquid in the pan, add all your veggies. Stir often and cook them over medium heat just until all the liquid have evaporated. Then stir in a few teaspoons of minced garlic and remove from the heat. Set it aside to allow it to cool and let’s mix the grains.
To a large bowl add everything from The Grain Group, including the spices. I added the tomato paste and beans last and then used both a fork and a potato masher to mix everything together.
I did rinse and drain the chickpeas. Again, too much liquid is going to make a soggy meatloaf which is no bueno. Add the bulgur that has been sitting off to the side too. It will be moist and rehydrated, but not soggy.
Finally, we can add the veggie mixture to the grain mixture and keep mixing. If the veggies are cool enough, I like to get my hands in there and mix it the way my mom did, squeezing and smushing everything together.
If you can’t find Panko, use whatever bread crumbs you like.
Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a glass, 1.5 qt loaf pan with parchment paper. I cut the paper so it would hang over each of the loaf pan’s 10″ sides a little to give me a handle to lift the meatloaf out when it was done.
Add your meatloaf mixture to the loaf pan being sure to compress it as you go. Smooth the top and top it with your favorite meatloaf sauce. I just used ketchup and brushed it evenly with a pastry brush. I hear BBQ sauce is good too.
Bake for 1 hour and then let it cool for at least 30 min or so on a cooling rack. Then you can carefully lift it out and slice away.
Good luck with your meatloaf but if you follow my instructions you should come out good. Last week I had too much moisture and that’s why it didn’t hold together. It was more off a “refried bean meatloaf” than anything else…yuck. It did eventually firm up in the fridge but this one…..this one was perfect right out of the oven.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, see you next week.
Holiday Vegan Meatloaf
- Author: Brand New Vegan
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Prep Time: 60 min
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Cook Time: 60 min
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Total Time: 2 hours
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Yield: 6-8 servings
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Category: Main, Holiday, Sandwiches
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Method: Oven
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Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Looking for something that will please everyone at the table this Holiday Season? Then you HAVE to try my Holiday Vegan Meatloaf. Not only does it have tons of veggies, whole grains, AND beans … it slices perfectly for those comforting meatloaf sandwiches.
Ingredients
Veggie Group
- 8 oz portobello mushrooms
- 1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 onion (about 2 cups diced)
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 small orange sweet potato
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Grain Group
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup bulgur (soaked in 1/4 cup water)
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon sage
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 15 oz can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
Instructions
- Add bulgur and 1/4 cup of water to a shallow dish. Set aside.
- Prep all veggies by dicing into evenly-sized 1/4″ cubes.
- Slice mushrooms and saute in soy sauce just until liquid is released
- Add the rest of the diced veggies and cook until veggies have softened and liquid has evaporated
- Add garlic, stir, and remove from heat. Allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, add everything from the Grain Group, including the bulgur we set aside earlier
- Add the tomato paste and drained beans last.
- Mix thoroughly. I used a fork and potato masher.
- Add all the cooked veggies and continue mixing and mashing. I even used my hands, just like mom used to do!
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Line a 1.5qt Pyrex loaf pan with parchment paper
- Add meatloaf mixture to loaf pan compressing as you go
- Smooth top and brush on ketchup or your favorite sauce
- Bake for 1 hour
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes
- Remove from loaf pan, and slice.
Notes
Like this recipe? Tips and Donations are ALWAYS welcome!
Keywords: vegan meatloaf
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