If I was to showcase the top 10 favorite recipes of our cooking club, this one would top the list. We served it in our first “Home for the Holidays” cooking class and it was a real winner. The men kept coming back for more. That’s why I call this the “Five Star Lentil Loaf.” I don’t know what it is about men and burgers, but it’s like a magnet drawing them in. Remember what your mom told you–“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?” I think I’d change it to “The way to a man’s heart is through burgers and loaves.” So if your family is new to plant based cooking, this is one kind of entree I’d start with.
Lentils was the very first bean I discovered as I started on my own journey into plant based cooking. I liked that it is quick to make–no soaking or pressure cooking needed. I can start a pot 30 minutes before a meal and we’re good to go. And it is such a versatile bean–you can make burgers, loaves, stews, and soups. You can even make a sloppy joe that fools the best of ’em. But that’s for another recipe.
On to Five Star Lentil Loaf. Another perk about this dish–if you’ve got some leftover rice and lentils in the fridge, it’s a good way to use it up. I started out with 1 1/2 cups of cooked brown lentils and 1 1/2 cups of brown rice (we always have a pot on hand–using our Aroma Rice Cooker makes it fast and easy). I mixed these up in a large bowl, then added 1 1/2 cups of quick oats, 1 cup of ground nuts (like walnuts or pecans) and 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning. Mix all this together and set it aside.
Time for veggies now. Chop up 2 very large portabella mushrooms or 5 medium size white ones. Add 1 1/2 cups of chopped celery along with one medium onion, chopped in bite-size pieces. Lightly saute’ these vegetables in a nonstick skillet, adding 1 tablespoon of water or vegetable broth as you stir them. Do this for a few minutes, just to begin softening them up. You will then add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and let the veggies cook until tender. Don’t be afraid to add more broth to keep them from sticking.
When the veggies are almost done cooking, add in your seasonings. I used 2 teaspoons of salt along with 1 tablespoon each of the following herbs–onion powder, garlic powder, rubbed sage and thyme. Mix them in and turn off the heat.
Spoon the herby vegetables into your lentil-rice mixture. Mix all ingredients together. Then add a 12 ounce can of tomato paste, blending all ingredients thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. You could use a silicone loaf pan or line a bread pan with parchment paper. For our cooking class, we used silicone muffin tins and served the loaf in large muffin shapes. What a hit that was!
If baking in a loaf pan, cover with a piece of aluminum foil and cook for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 15-25 minutes or until the top is browned and the edges look a little crispy. Take out of the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes. The longer you allow the roast to set, the firmer it will be.
CHEF’S NOTE: This loaf can be made the day before and refrigerated. This will give it a firmer texture. It can then be reheated in the microwave. We didn’t serve this with any kind of gravy; it is moist enough. But you could add your favorite tomato sauce on top, if desired.
FOCUS ON LENTILS: What’s not to love about lentils? Lentils nutrition benefits include the ability to improve and maintain heart health, help you to lose weight in a healthy way, fight blood sugar fluctuations that can lead to diabetes or low energy levels, and improve digestion too. One cup of cooked lentils provides 15 grams of fiber, 18 grams of protein, and less than 1 gram of fat.
Five Star Lentil Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown lentils cooked
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice cooked
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats can be gluten-free
- 1 cup ground nuts walnuts or pecans
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 2 large portabella mushrooms or 5 medium white mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups celery chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 12 ounce can of tomato paste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the cooked brown rice and cooked lentils.To reduce your prep time, you could cook the rice and lentils the day before or use leftovers from a previous meal.
- Add the quick oats, ground nuts, and poultry seasoning. Mix well and set aside.
- Chop the mushrooms and celery in bite size pieces. Saute' in the vegetable broth until tender.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Mix well and turn off the heat.
- Mix the sauteed vegetables with the lentil/rice mixture.
- Add a can of tomato paste and mix well.
- Spoon mixture into a parchment-lined loaf pan.
- Cover pan with a piece of aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
- Remove foil and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. It is done when the top is browned and edges look a little crispy.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes. The longer you allow the loaf to set, the firmer it's texture will be. Cooking this a day ahead is the best way to have a firm loaf. Just warm it up in your oven or microwave the following day.
