This mouthwatering meatless loaf is packed with plant-based protein; you’ll be surprised by how much you love it!
This healthy meatloaf is easy to put together quickly, and you don’t need to tell anyone it’s vegan! It’s a cinch to reheat, or to eat cold, especially as a sandwich. If you’re trying to make it strictly vegan for yourself or a friend, be sure to check labels, especially on the bread used in making crumbs, and on the Worcestershire sauce.
You’re going to love the authentic taste and the healthy vibes you will get from this delicious meatloaf. Everyone seems to love the type of meatloaf they grew up on. This has the same depth of flavor, so it should satisfy most tastes.
You might be interested in exploring more vegan recipes, for health and wellness reasons. It’s also an interesting and fun activity, to research how dishes can not only be made vegan, but very tasty. Food Faith Fitness has many fun recipes to try, such as Vegan Meatballs, Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Pie, or Vegan Green Bean Casserole. All of those together will make a terrific meal, or you can try one at a time. For dessert, try Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies or Vegan Cheesecake.
Is Vegan Meatloaf Healthy?
With this healthy alternative to traditional meatloaf, you’re not getting the fat and cholesterol. What you are getting is iron and protein, along with plenty of vitamins and fiber. You won’t feel stuffed after a meal planned around this plant-based main dish, but your cravings for comfort food will be satisfied.
How to get the right texture for plant-based meatloaf
Texture is everything when it comes to plant-based meat dishes. Creating them yourself is so much tastier and more wholesome than buying processed versions. Some tips that may help you to ensure a delicious and perfectly textured dish are in order. Measure. Measure. Measure. It’s just like baking. You need to be exact and pay attention to details. Drain and rinse the beans well. Drain again. Don’t over-process the beans. Mashing with a potato masher is precisely what you need, to get them mashed while still leaving bigger bits for that perfect mouth-feel.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Preheat oven, sauté onions and garlic.
Mix
Combine chickpeas, sautéed veggies, and other ingredients.
Bake
Press into pan, bake, add topping, and bake again.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
This is definitely a dish you can make ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or in a pan with oil over low heat, until heated through. If freezing, slice into portion sizes and freeze separately—very handy for reheating one at a time for lunches. This will also work well if you like cold meatloaf sandwiches to pack in your lunch.
Any bean that is mellow and easily mashed is perfect. Possibilities are white kidney beans (cannellini), lentils of any color, great northern beans, navy beans, pinto beans, black beans. You get the picture! It’s of course good to use a mix of beans, too. The nutrition, flavor, and texture will only change slightly. Any bean is an awesome nutritional choice. All the flavor is coming from the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and the nutritional yeast.
Worcestershire sauce gives the umami flavor, that savory necessity in plant-based meat dishes. But typical Worcestershire ingredients include fish sauce. Vegan Worcestershire uses soy sauce for the same effect. If you’d like to get the umami without using Worcestershire at all, other vegan options include using coconut aminos, miso paste, or tamari sauce. I keep all 3 on hand, and you’d be surprised the number of dishes these sauces add great depth of flavor to.
Making your own version of vegan Worcestershire is easy. Whisk together 1/4 cup of water, 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool.
Serving Suggestions
It seems like meatloaf traditionally was served with either mashed or scalloped potatoes, and green beans, with homemade cookies for dessert. Or maybe that was just my house! To keep with tradition, but also stay with vegan, try Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes and Dairy Free Vegan Green Bean Casserole. And for dessert, try these Vegan Pumpkin Cookies. Meatloaf goes well with so many side dishes, it’s sure to become part of the rotation of delicious suppers at your house.
Vegan Meatloaf
Ingredients
For the Meatloaf
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
For the Topping
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9-inch loaf pan with oil or line with parchment paper.
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Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes.
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In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher until well broken up but not completely pasty.
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Add the sautéed onions and garlic, breadcrumbs, ground flaxseed, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 cup ketchup to the mashed chickpeas. Mix well.
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Press the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
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In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup ketchup and 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce for the topping.
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After 30 minutes, remove the foil, spread the ketchup topping evenly over the loaf, and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
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