Who would have thought that Lentils would make such a delicious loaf! Hearty, full of veggies, texture, and flavor, this Lentil Loaf will sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Simple veggies blended with simple herbs and spices combined together makes this loaf a delightful main staple for any dinner meal. While this fabulous loaf contains minimal added salt and sugar, it can be easily adapted to a no salt added recipe by using a salt-free mustard. Check out Cathy Fisher’s Straight-Up Food’s “Better Ketchup” for a salt and sugar-free option for the topping.
So whether for a Sunday meal or a holiday dish, this loaf will sure to please!
Watch “How To” Video:
Lentil Loaf
Hearty, full of veggies, texture and flavor.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Brown Lentils, uncooked
- 1 1/4 cup Water
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 3/4 cup Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes, Unsalted (half of a 15oz can, set aside the other half for Tomato Paste below)
- 1/2 cup Yellow Onion, Chopped
- 1/2 cup White Mushrooms, chopped
- 1/4 cup Celery, chopped
- 1/4 cup Julienne Carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 2 handfuls Baby Spinach (about 1 packed cup)
- 3/4 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1 cup Cooked Brown Rice (see recipe notes)
Tomato Paste
- 3/4 cup Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes, Unsalted
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste, Unsalted
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder, unsalted
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder, unsalted
- 1 Tbsp Poultry Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash "Table Blend"
- 1 1/2 tsp Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice (about 1/2 of a Lime)
- 1/8 tsp Chipotle Pepper
- 1 tsp Liquid Smoke, Mesquite
Glaze/Garnish
- 1/2 cup Favorite BBQ Sauce/Ketchup (Our favorite is Stubbs "Sticky Sweet or Mesquite" Flavor)
- 1 tsp Dried Chives (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Rinse Lentils and add to a small saucepan with 1 1/4 cup water and 1 Bay Leaf. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Then set aside. NOTE: Be sure that all water has cooked out of the lentils. Any extra liquid added to the overall recipe could result in the loaf not sticking together. But don't worry it's still just as yummy either way. 🙂
- While the lentils are cooking, add all ingredients listed for the "tomato paste" to a blender. Blend until well blended and smooth. Set aside.
- Chop all of the veggies. Using a non-stick pan add 3/4 cup of the canned petite diced tomatoes, the chopped onions, mushrooms, celery, carrots, and bell peppers. Sautee the veggies for 7-8 minutes until veggies are tender and all of the liquid has evaporated. Add the chopped baby spinach to the sauteed veggies and cook until wilted ( about 2 minutes)
- Add the rolled oats, cooked rice, and lentils to the sauteed veggies. Stir until well combined. Add the tomato paste mixture to the pan with veggies. Stir until well combined. Be sure to mash some of the lentils as the loaf is mixed. This will help the loaf to stick together.
- Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Fill the loaf pan with veggie mixture. Using a spatula press down, and evenly distribute the loaf in the pan.
- Top the loaf with your choice of BBQ / Ketchup. Garnish with dried chives. Bake in the oven uncovered for 50 minutes.
- Allow loaf to cool at least 30-40 minutes prior to cutting. The longer the loaf cools the firmer it becomes.
Notes
Rice note: 1/3 cup uncooked rice equates to about 1 cup cooked. Rice cooks on the stove top in about 45-50 minutes. Rice cooks in an Instant Pot in 22 minutes plus 10 minutes "natural release. Glaze note: I like to use 1/2 ketchup and 1/2 BBQ sauce. See blog to adapt this recipe to a salt and sugar-free option. This recipe was inspired and adapted from Dr. Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" book.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I can’t wait to try this! Am seriously thinking of making this for Thanksgiving for the two of us. Thank you!
Well, Donna, we are humbled that you are entertaining the thought of trying our Lentil Loaf for Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Have a wonderful day because you simply can! And a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
This sounds delicious, Faith! We have a tofu/lentil based loaf we have been making – but Id’ like to give yours a try! Thank you for all you do and share!
Hello Karen! Thank you for considering giving our Lentil Loaf a try! Hope that you enjoy the loaf as much as we do! Our family is so grateful for your kind support! Have a super fantastic day because you simply can!
Hi Faith, we are preparing your Lentil Loaf and it tastes delicious without even baking — especially the “tomato paste” which I think is the real secret sauce to this great meal! Thanks for sharing! Monica
So glad to hear that Monica. Hope you and your family enjoy the loaf as much as we do. It is even tastier the next day as a sandwich or even wrapped with Romain lettuce and Dijon Mustard. Mmmm good! Thank you for your kind support! Have a super fantastic day because you simply can!
Hi there. I have just prepared your lentil load but haven’t baked it yet. Trying to decide if I should keep it in the fridge and bake it on Thanksgiving day, or just bake it now and keep it refrigerated until Thanksgiving (to free up the oven). How does it keep? How does it freeze? Should I add the ketchup glaze now if I am going to keep it for a few days in fridge?
Hey Julie! I believe either way you will be fine. If you decide to cook the loaf in advance, go ahead and put the Ketchup glaze on top and bake. The cooked loaf keeps in the fridge well for 5-7 days. I’ve never freezer it before, but if I were too it would be in the cooked form. Hope these tips are helpful. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Dear Family,
We absolutely LOVED this Lentil Loaf recipe! You knocked it
out of the park on this one! Everyone raved over how delicious it was! Thank you so much for making the recipes so easy to follow from the well written recipes to the awesome videos!
Hey Robin! So glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed the Lentil Loaf! Thank you so much for your kind compliments! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list so that you and your family can be notified when we upload more tasty, healthy recipes that our family enjoys.
I made this the other day and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for adding such great flavors together!!! I shared your recipe with others!
Hello Jasmine! It warms our hearts to hear that you enjoyed the Lentil Loaf. Thank you for the kind compliments and for sharing our recipe with others. Have a super fantastic day because you simply can!