The Best Vegan Lentil Loaf

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Using a fine sieve, rinse your lentils to remove any debris. Cook the lentils, adding about 5 minutes to package instructions for tender lentils that can be mashed easily (total of about 25 minutes for green lentils or 30 minutes for brown lentils). Drain the lentils and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Use a potato masher to mash them, leaving some whole lentils in tact.
3. While your lentils are cooking, line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Cut two pieces of parchment paper, one to the width of the pan, and one to the length of the pan, so you have one piece facing each direction, and parchment "handles" hanging over all four sides. This will help with easily removing the loaf later.
4. Make your flax egg by combining ground flax with 1/2 cup water in a small bowl and mixing well. Set aside to thicken.
5. Pre-heat a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat and add a bit of olive oil to the pan. Cook the onion and garlic for about 5-7 minutes (longer for softer veggies, less time for crunchier veggies). Stir regularly with a wooden spoon, and add water if the vegetables begin to dry out.
6. Add your celery, carrots, and raisins to the pan and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or so. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
7. After your pineapple is chopped in tiny pieces, mash it with your fingers. You want to ensure that you only have soft pieces of pineapple (no core pieces). Separate out the juice to use later in the glaze.
8. Mix 1 1/2 tbsp. ketchup, 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, thyme, oregano, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper into a paste. Add the paste to the bowl with the flax egg and mix well.
9. To your large mixing bowl with the lentils, add vegetables, pineapple (only pieces, no juice), rolled oats, oat flour, and your flax egg-seasoning paste mix. Mix ingredients well to ensure that they are evenly distributed. At this stage, you can taste the loaf mixture and add any additional salt or seasonings that you'd like. Then, press the mix into the lined loaf pan.
10. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients (ketchup, maple syrup, pineapple juice, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce). Use a spoon or basting brush to cover the top of the loaf with the glaze.
11. Bake the loaf at 350°F (180°C) for 50 to 55 minutes.
12. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, using the parchment handles, remove it from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool for another 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Be sure to chop all your ingredients very finely. The larger the pieces, the harder it will be to get your loaf to hold together.

This recipe fills a 9x5 loaf pan. If you have a smaller pan, you can adjust the recipe accordingly. An 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 pan will hold about 3/4 of the recipe, while an 8x4 pan will hold about 1/2 of the recipe.

Make ahead: Prepare the loaf and glaze (leave the glaze off for now) and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove from the refrigerator at least an hour before baking, add the glaze, then bake. You may need to add 5-10 minutes to cook time.

Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week. For longer storage, cut into slices, freeze on a parchment-lined baking tray, then store in freezer bags in the freezer.

Reheating: From the refrigerator, reheat a slice in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 12-15 minutes. If reheating a frozen slice, allow it to thaw before reheating.

Use coconut aminos and a gluten-free vegan Worcestershire sauce (such as 365 brand) to keep this recipe gluten-free.