There are various recipes for a vegan meatloaf available on the internet. Some use lentils, others use chickpeas or tofu. One of our favourites includes a combination of two types of beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans. I add a bunch of vegetables, and everything is heavily flavoured with the use of different herbs and spices.
When making meatloaf, it is important that your mixture is not super mushy. Otherwise, the end result will not be too pleasant to eat. Also, you risk a loaf that does not hold its structure and will end up in a pile of mush.
This recipe is very simple. There is no need to cook any of the ingredients separately before combining the whole mixture. All ingredients will have enough time to cook well while in the oven.
You can serve it on its own or with a side of simple green salad and some mashed potatoes. Any leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a up to 3 days. It is also great to pack in your lunchbox for the following day.
A variation this meatloaf is the Lentil Loaf which I have posted here a while back. The recipe for the lentil loaf can be found here.
Vegan Meatloaf
A vegan alternative packed with beans, veggies and deep in flavour
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp flaxmeal
- 80g water
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 zucchini, grated
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp smoked chipotle powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke (optional)
- 120g vegan cheddar cheese, grated
- 4 tbsp tomato paste (+ another 2 tbsp)
- 400g kidney beans
- 400g cannellini beans
- 80g cornmeal
- Sea salt & black pepper
Directions
- Start by mixing the flax meal together with the water in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped onion, red pepper, garlic, carrot and zucchini.
- Add all the herbs and spices, the grated cheese and 4 tablespoons tomato paste.
- Mash half of the kidney beans and half of the cannellini beans and add them to the mixture. Leave the remaining half whole and also add to the bowl.
- Pour the flaxmeal and water to the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Add 2/3 of the cornmeal and mix everything together. If the mixture is still too wet, add the remaining cornmeal.
- Pour the mixture into a loaf tin and spread the remaining 2 tablespoons of tomato paste on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
- Let it cool slightly before cutting into it.
