Holiday Lentil Loaf

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Recipe submitted by hebagirl

Holiday Lentil Loaf

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 small onion
1 clove garlic
2 stalks celery
2 teaspoon sage
3 cups cooked lentils
3 cups cooked wild rice (you can use a wild rice/brown rice mix here too)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
2 tablespoon vinegar
2 egg equivalents
2 tablespoon whole wheat flour
fresh ground black pepper and sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Chop onion and celery finely, and crush the garlic clove. Spray a fraying pan with non-stick spray, and saute the onion, garlic and celery until onion is translucent. Add the sage. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and fill the loaf pan with the mixture. Press down. Bake 30 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

This looks wonderful, can't wait to try it. Can I use just plain brown rice, too?

Archived comment by: susanne

I just found your receipe last night and I am going to try it for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I have everything to make it except the walnuts. I have pecans. Do you think these would work or do you think the walnuts are worth the trip to the grocery store for the difference? Thanks!

Archived comment by: anna

I'm sorry, I just got your comments about the holiday lentil loaf! Yes, I think you could use plain brown rice, but I did find that the wild rice added a lot of texture, so the resulting loaf might be a tiny bit mushier. I'm sure Pecans would work instead of walnuts - depending on your taste of course. Hope your loaves worked out for you.

Archived comment by: e

Tried you lentil loaf for New Years dinner. It was very tasty and had a nice texture to it. Served it with a light sauce, brocoli and carrots. Ummm... Thanks for sharing.

Archived comment by: suzanne

This is good! I used 3/4 c. brown rice and 1/4 c. wild rice, and peacns instead of walnuts. I had been searching for a loaf like this, cause I love the Worthington lentil-rice loaf but its so expensive. Thank you!!!!

Archived comment by: sara

This was excellent - I used pecans and a mexican herb mixture instead of the individual ones. Everyone in my family loved it. Thank You!!

Archived comment by: barb

I LOVED this...reminded me of Thanksgiving stuffing...and I did use brown rice, same amount as indicated for wild rice and it turned out great....Bet it would be even better with the addition of raisins or currants!

Archived comment by: denise

I tried this. It was delicious. Tasted just like stuffing - must be the sage. Next time I make it, I'll add raisins or currants and serve with a sauce. Thanks for sharing.

Archived comment by: adrian

I tried it - just for myself - and found 1/2 the recipe is still huge. So, I froze slices for sandwiches and it works great! Just thawed, add to toast with vegan mayo and cucumber slices. Not very low fat (I think) but really good. Thanks!

Archived comment by: trish

Dear E...Shalom! The recipe is great (I used a simpler one from The Farm Cookbook-I'll try yours next time...I never really enjoyed lentils until I tasted this loaf..really great. I added a few dried (after I soaked them and cut off the stems) shitake mushrooms the 2nd or 3rd time with some of the water from the shitake mushrooms. Really added a lot to the loaf and with just a few mushrooms. (My problem is I'm in Israel and have to beg people to bring me shitake mushrooms as I can't find anywhere to buy them here. So..when you add them please think of me. Erv Bloom

Archived comment by: dr.Erwin

I made this loaf last week and it tasted excellent! I served it with golden gravy - yum! I used a brown rice/wild rice mixture, and also used fresh sage from the garden.

Archived comment by: gordon

We served this last night to our friend Swami Gurudevenanda and everyone thought it was excellent. Thank.

Archived comment by: bill

What do you use for egg equivalents, and why the vinegar? What does it do for the loaf? Thanks for the recipe, and for the answer to the above questions.

Archived comment by: susanne

This loaf was absolutely delicious! We made it with canned lentils though and they were a bit salty and a smidge too wet. Next time well rehydrate some. We also added digon mustard and it added some nice zing. Thanks so much for sharing.

Archived comment by: nancy

I loaf this loaf! I added some chopped mushrooms and tamari, and it came out great! I did not have regular vinegar, so I used balsamic, and it came out fine. This was even FUN to make ... and that's saying a lot, considering I do not even like to chop vegetables. YUM!

Archived comment by: jodi

We made this for our family (The Carnivors) for Christmas dinner and they lapped it up! The changes we made were 2 cups of brown rice and 1 cup of wild rice. I added 2 heaping Tbls of dijon mustard; some shitake mushrooms; cayanne (red pepper) to taste (this really gave the other flavors some extra Ummph!; 2-3 Tbls of low sodium soy sauce; and one extra clove of garlic. We served it with some delicious vegan gravy (I posted the recipe) and some whole cranberry sauce. UnREAL!! What a great recipe. Thanks!

Archived comment by: bruce

Jan/98 Thanks for such a wonderful recipe! It was absolutely delicious!

Archived comment by: kim

I tried this at thanksgiving and I followed the directions to a T, and it turned out dry and was more the consistency of lentil pilaf than a loaf. Flavor was good, but texture was not appealing.

Archived comment by: cherity

This loaf is very delicious with a vegan gravy! I served it at a family dinner, where no other veggies attended, and everyone loved it! My father even exclaimed that he enjoyed this healthy loaf more than the meat my mother cooked. Success!!

Archived comment by: christine

I haven't tried this yet, but I plan to. Does anyone know what could be substituted for the nuts? I know people allergic to nuts, and would prefer not to make them sick with my cooking.

Archived comment by: jenlutz

I'm planning on making this for Thanksgiving dinner. As I begin to measure out all the stuff, will it really fit into a regular-sized loaf pan? Really? It sounds like it will be frickin huge!!! Cant wait to eat it, though! Thanks!

Archived comment by: joyfulsmom

My mom recently made this for several crowds--each time it brought in rave reviews! Thanks for sharing!

Archived comment by: amyo

What type of lentil? There are so many nowadays! Red, green?

Archived comment by: amy1974

I'm pretty sure you would use brown..all the lentil loaves i have ever eaten were brown. Well, I'm off to make this, its just the recipe I'm looking for. sounds delicious, can't wait to try it!!

Archived comment by: vegancherrypie

I would love to make this for thanksgiving, but am allergic to nuts. Any ideas for subsistutes?

Archived comment by: raiel

It didn't loaf very well, but this lentil loaf was excellent. I made it with homemade vegan gravy and it was delicious. It turned out to be more like a stuffing than anything, but I think next time I'll add a few more Ener-G Egg Replacer eggs to bind the dish more. Even my non-vegan family really liked it! Its hard work to properly cook the wild rice- boiling it until the water turns green, draining, and then boiling again until its just underdone (we use the good wild rice, grown in a river in Nothern Minnesota, from a relatives small wild rice company, instead of the crap you buy at the store)... but its worth it in the end. I'd add more garlic next time.

Archived comment by: silverbean

My boyfriend and I made this this weekend with veggie gravy, herbed garlic mashed potatoes and a nice salad. It was so good! I think I'll bring it as the veggie main dish to my familys Christmas gettogether. I'm sure everyone will love it. Raiel - I made it without the nuts and it turned out just fine.

Archived comment by: ulapie

Very yummy!!! To make it stay together better, I bake them individually in a muffin pan. It makes a nice crispy crust.

Archived comment by: lindao

Great recipe...thank you, thank you, thank you. I used brown rice, and red lentils which were mush when cooked and retained all their juice. Also used zucchini instead of celery(didn't have any) and wheat germ instead of vegan bread crumbs (also didn't have any). I have tried other lentil loafs and they were too dry. This was great and moist. Oh and I used pine nuts instead of walnuts.

Archived comment by: lostberrypicker

wondering how essential the nuts are for taste and consistency. could it work without do you think?... thanks. -trinity

Archived comment by: greyrose

I made this for my first veg. Thanksgiving, 2003, and I really loved it. I added dried cranberries, pine nuts, mushrooms, and probably a few other things! I used Roads End vegan mushroom gravy mix on top, and it was really special. I got teased by the non-veg. family, but my husband liked it, and that was a good sign. Thank you for such a good recipe...its a keeper! LISA

Archived comment by: mom4kids

I just made this last night and I thought it was terrific. The only thing I had trouble with was the cooking time...I ended up cooking covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for 20, but I'm up at a higher elevation. I will definitely be making this often. Thanks! Shocked

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Archived comment by: sapphsMagick

This was simply faboo! I am trying out some candidates for Thanksgiving main dish, and so far, this is the clear leader!

Archived comment by: penguindreams

What are the dimensions of the loaf pan you use, and how many servings is it? I'm going to a dinner party where 18 people are invited and everyone will bring a dish. Please let me know in your opinion if I need to double the ingrediance. Thank you. thank you for sharing.

Archived comment by: vkk

If you're allergic to nuts, use water chestnuts. Open a can of the sliced variety and chop them up. My boyfriends mom, who is omni, loved the loaf. She can't eat nuts or seeds, so I adapted the recipe for her.

Archived comment by: veggieTart

It was very tasteful!

Archived comment by: holihola

Thank you very much for this recipe. I made and broutght this to my aunts Christmas dinner because I needed something to eat seeing as how I'm the only vegetarian in my family, and it turned out well. I served it with a nice mushroom gravy. My family enjoyed it as well.

Archived comment by: olskoolgamer

I was really disappointed in this one. My mother made it two days ago, and mostly tasted like celery, was also too dry for my taste. But then again, perhaps itd work better with a few changes. Less celery and more spices or similar should make it lovely, though.

Archived comment by: saffron

It was really good! With the leftovers, I mixed some cranberry sauce & Nayonnaise and made sandwiches.

Archived comment by: jes

This loaf was amazing. I served it with Bruces recipe for vegan gravy (an *excellent* companion, btw) and both the veggies *and* the carnivores at my table couldnt stop raving! I followed it to the letter (using red lentils), and it came out perfect - moist, flavourful, and it stayed together, too! Thanks for sharing such a fantastic meal idea. Cheesy

Archived comment by: furygrrl

Well, it was okay. I don't think I will make it again. The sage took over the taste. Too much in the recipe in my opinion. It also didn't bind at all. I used Energy egg replacer. Maybe another 2 eggs would have helped. So I agree that it was more like a pilaf then loaf. Used some Roads end golden gravy on top, which helped a bit.

Archived comment by: jacobJuliansMom

This was mushy and gross. The whole family hated it. I had to throw it away.

Archived comment by: tT

i always add about a cup of tomato paste, some garlic powder (and fresh!), and some fresh thyme. i also use some soaked oats instead of some of the flour - which helps it loaf a little more.

Archived comment by: chouchou

i have made this every thanksgiving since i became vegan in 1998. I never had a problem with it not loafing up- maybe it depends on your rice? I make my rice in a steamer, which always seems to come out very moist...maybe that is the trick- to have somewhat moist rice. I also add no more than 1 TBS of vinegar- that is very important. 2 TBS is too much. And I always add 1/2 to 1 TBS dijon mustard too. Even my carnivore family loves it so much, they ask every year if I will make it- and fight over the leftovers LoL.

Archived comment by: rainbowdawn1

I was really excited about making this the day after Thanksgiving, but I thought it was pretty bland and horrible. I was very disappointed. I followed the recipe to a T. My boyfriend, sister, and boyfriends kids all thought it was pretty yucky.

Archived comment by: guitarista

This loaf is incredible. It came out a bit dry, so next time i plan to add about a 1/2 to 1 cup of vegetable broth. I did add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice to the recipe and it was absolutely delicious. mm mmm mmmmm!

Archived comment by: mehra

this was pretty good. i tried it with the pine nuts and made it in muffin pans as one post suggested and a few bigger mini tart tins. the flavor is good but subtle--it definitely needs a gravy to accompany. Bruces gravy worked pretty well tho I would modify that a bit (less soy sauce if any). i think the wild rice is pretty key to this recipe for both flavor and texture. it did a fairly good job of sticking together too. but i would like to work on that more as well--maybe by making the lentils more mushy?

Archived comment by: gOJUGRL7

when you say cooked lentils Does it mean the lentils including water too in whic they are cooked ? Or we remove lentils from the water and use it ? 2nd Q - What kind of lentils ?

Archived comment by: parabilla