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 ½ cup of Bulgur and add ¼ 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 ¼" 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.
Vegan Holiday Meatloaf
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Main, Holiday
- Method: Oven
- 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 tbsp low-sodium soy sauc
- 1 onion (about 2 cups diced)
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 med carrots
- 1 small sweet potato
- 2 tsp minced garlic
Grain Group
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup bulgur (soaked in ¼ cup water)
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¾ tsp thyme
- ¾ tsp sage
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 15 oz chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
Instructions
- Add bulgur and ¼ cup of water to a shallow dish. Set aside.
- Prep all veggies by dicing them into evenly-sized ¼″ 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.
Deb
Delicious! I didn't have panko bread crumbs, so I used a slice of sourdough (crumbled in the blender). I mixed the rest of the tomato paste with some barbeque sauce for the topping.
Cindy Weller
Hi Chuck!
Planning on this to add a plant based option on Thanksgiving. Can I prepare this on Wed and bake on Thur?
Jen
I'm not Chuck, but from past experience I would not try it. Grains tend to keep soaking up liquid and changes the texture. We tried once with the 'family recipe' of dressing, and it was a totally different texture and I didn't like it at all.
Jan G.
Help! Can I sub the bulgur for red bulgur? Is there a difference? This sounds delicious, and I'm hoping to make this for Thanksgiving, but they only have Bob's Red Mill Red Bulgur around here.
Chuck Underwood
No difference! It's fine!
Bonny Cameron
Are the Portobello mushrooms there large ones? My brain is telling me that the slices seem quite large for a loaf ingredient. Maybe I'm wrong. Chuck, can you clarify please. I have both the full size and the babies in the fridge.
Thanks
Chuck Underwood
The smaller ones
Terri
I had my heart set on a "meat"loaf today but I didn't have bulgur. So I went to the hippie loaf and in the process of digging around in the freezer I found everything I needed to make this recipe, so game on for this recipe! Except I had no carrots ha ha but I did have frozen peas and carrots so I picked the carrots out they were already cut to size, big plus there! So the side veggie was peas 🙂 turned out well i used boxed mashed potatoes and then the BNV southern vegan cream gravy and served with side salad to and my 90 year old Dad who was very pleased with the comfort food.
Mary
I usually don’t like meatloaf but I wanted to try this for my mom. It was delicious, I am now a meatloaf fan.
Ken
I made a vegan loaf at Thanksgiving with some gravy and really enjoyed it. This recipe is totally different, so I think I'm going to make it along with your gravy for Christmas meals. Looking forward to trying it.
Mary Ann Valadao
What can substitute bulgar with? I made the full recipe delicious and froze some. Still delicious. I really need to substitute bulgar now. Any suggestions?
Tina
I made this according to the recipe except I didn't have any flax seeds (I used a little extra oats) and I liked green pepper in meatloaf, so I substituted green pepper for half of the celery. OMG, this is so good!
Janell
I can finally stop looking for a decent vegan loaf recipe!!! I never thought I would find something this good. I didn’t have bulgar so used cooked brown rice. My husband had it two nights in a row! I used barbecue sauce on top and may use some in the middle of the loaf next time as we like the flavor. Thank you for such a great non mushy full of veggies loaf!!
Lynn
So moist, delicious & filling. Thank you! Subbed cooked farro for the bulgur & used a pasty cutter to mix everything together.
Nancy Lavoie
Hi Chuck,
I just made your holiday meatloaf today and I have already eaten four big slices, it is that good. Your organization skills are amazing, I had absolutely no trouble following along. I made the recipe as written and I wouldn't change a thing, in fact, that fourth slice is being consumed by me as I write this. Thank you for sharing this delightful and tasty recipe.
Carolyn Wallis
Gluten Free substituions: cooked sorghum for the bulgar and gluten free toast whizzed to make bread crumbs.
We've followed this lifestyle eating plan for oaver ten years. I have tried many loaves since meatloaf was one of my husband's favorites. I am SO GLAD I doubled this recipe with the GF subsitutions mentioned above. The flavor and texture are excellent. We will likely kick up the spices a bit but overall, this was definitely a "repeat' recipe. Perfect.
Mary Ellen
You’ve done it, Chuck! I’ve been making Dreena Burton’s No-Fu Loaf for almost 10 years. I’ve tired many other recipes in the last decades but I never found a better vegan “meatloaf” until now. Your Holiday Vegan Meatloaf is easier, faster and tastier and makes the best sandwiches.
The only change I’ve made is to use my food processor to dice the vegetables. It reduces the prep time to under 30 minutes and we all like the smaller pieces of vegetables better.. They cook faster that’s way too!
Thank you so much for such a fabulous recipe.
Kathy
2 q’s:
1. I don’t have a glass loaf pan so will a metal one work? 2. Do you compress the sides to the walls of the loaf pan or are they away from the edges so there is air between the loaf & the pan on all sides but the bottom? Thanks!
Carol
I don’t have a glass loaf pan so I used my metal one. It turned out great. I adjusted the oven heat up to 375. My mom always told me if I was cooking with glass loaf pan instead of metal to turn heat down 25 degrees.
This is the best loaf I have ever had!!
Judy
Made this for Thanksgiving, and it's only the two of us. I froze half (sliced) and thawed when I wanted another meal. This meatloaf wins in every way. We had hot when first baked, warmed with gravy over, warmed with ketc.hup, cold with ketchup, and my favorite: as meatloaf sandwich. Wow, what a wonderful taste and texture. I've found my favorite meatloaf recipe ever. Thanks so much, Chuck.
Lisa
Did not disappoint. Only thing I did sort of different was mixed ketchup, mustard and a bit of brown sugar for the top. We like it tangy in the South.
Wendy Turner
This is the very best meatloaf I have made.
Just perfect in every way. Definitely a
KEEPER.
Gayla
Did I miss where you add the sweet potato? Do you steam first or dice and cook with the other veggies?
Chuck Underwood
Do not steam first - dice and cook with the other veggies.
Susan
Is the sweet potato necessary? Thx for this recipe!
Sharon
Do you cook the sweet potato before chopping?
Chuck Underwood
No
Bob
Hi Chuck. Wow this looks great! Thank you.
I abhor mushrooms, so will need to swap that out. What substitution do you suggest?
Christine
Me too! If you try a substitution let me know.
Wanda Ilami
I also need to sub for mushrooms...I hate them.
SUNNY White
Thought you'd like to know I got this on FB but was told again that it isn't a secure site when I tried to open it from your email
Charyl
I'm celiac, wheat won't work for me, what do you suggest for a substitute for bulger?
Chuck Underwood
Quinoa, millet, teff.....but I never tried them so no guarantees
Laurie
I made something similar and used cooked quinoa, it worked wonderfully.
Sandra
Wondering if kasha would work. I like the flavor kasha. And for bread crumbs, thinking about a gluten free cracker, like Crunchmaster, in the blender or food processor to make crumbs. And I would omit mushrooms. With these changes, I wonder if it would be as good as the original. I plan to try it soon.
evelyn sanborn
phew! I thought being Celtic (in your first post) and not being able to eat bulgar was a new thing!!! gave me a good laugh.. But I AM sympathetic to your Celiac conditiion. I am wondering if oat bran or some other flours maybe barley or buckwheat? I havent tried making this personally though but it seems worth the experimenting.
Sandy
I'm going g to make this for Turkey day. It sounds delish.
I wanted to mention that I just made a lentil loaf the other day. And I saw an idea using corn meal to thicken it up. I threw some in and my lentil loaf want mushy. I'm going to try that with your meatliaf since I don't have bulgar and see what happens cause I have it.
Thank you for all your ideas and good food.
Diane W
Sandy, what was the result of using the corn meal to replace the bulgar for the BNV loaf? Did it work?
Irene Raymond
I'm gluten free. What can I sub for the bulgar?
JoAnn
Fo i mash or rough chop the chickpeas before adding
Mary
My husband and I can’t wait to try your meatloaf recipe. We’ve been making your great chili recipe many times and it’s awesome!
Charyl
With what would you suggest I could replace the bulger? I'm Celtic, cannot eat gulten. Thanks, Charyl
Susan Mc
I made mine with soaked buckwheat groats! Turned out awesome! I am also Celiac....
Julie
This looks good, but wish I could substitute the wheat out with something without gluten. What would you suggest?
Susan Mc
I made mine with soaked buckwheat groats! Turned out awesome!
Haynes Meritt
This looks awesome Chuck!
connie
haven't tried it yet but will soon. maybe for thanksgiving. it looks delicious and i have high hopes. i've tried many loaf recipes and while some have been good for sandwiches, i haven't found one yet that my husband even wants to try. hoping yours will do the trick.
Lisa Smith
Just don't tell him what he's eating.
Verna
Can you substitute oats for the bulgar?
Janet
In Ll my years as a carnivore. I never used arot in my meatloaf. Do youthink I csnleave m out of yours? The texture, color and flavor of !carrots IMHO don't jive with my idea if a meatloaf! Should I substitute something for the carrots, something that's not sweet?