Servings: 8
Serving Size: ⅛ of recipe
Skill Level: Beginner
Total Time: 1 hr 40 minutes (~1 hr cook time)
Ingredients:
Lentil Loaf:
2, 14 oz cans Lentils, drained and rinsed
1 cup Walnuts, finely chopped
2 tsp Olive oil
2 cups Sweet onion, finely chopped
3 each Garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Celery, finely chopped
1 cup Carrot, peeled and grated
⅓ cup Apple, peeled and grated
⅓ cup Dried cranberries or raisins
2 tsp Fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp Dried oregano
To taste Black pepper
3 T. Ground flaxseed
½ cup Spelt bread crumbs or bread crumbs of choice
¼ tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
Balsamic-Apple Glaze:
¼ cup Ketchup
2 T. Unsweetened applesauce
2 T. Balsamic vinegar
1 T. Pure maple syrup
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×5” loaf pan and then line it with a piece of parchment paper to fit the length of the pan.
- If using canned lentils, rinse and drain them in a colander, then add them to a very large bowl & mash the lentils with a potato masher. The goal is to create a lentil paste while still leaving about ⅓ of the lentils intact.
- Spread the chopped walnuts onto a baking sheet. Toast the nuts for 8-12 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
- Increase the oven heat to 350 degrees.
- Add oil into a large skillet and increase the heat to medium. Stir in the onion, garlic and season with a pinch or two of salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the onion softens.
- Stir in the celery and carrot and continue cooking for another few minutes.
- Finally stir in the grated apple, dried cranberries, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for a couple minutes longer.
- Into the bowl with mashed lentils, stir in the walnuts, ground flax, oat flour and bread crumbs until combined.
- Stir in all of the veggie mixture until well combined. Add the red pepper flakes, if using. Taste and adjust with salt and or pepper, and add 1-2 T. water, as needed, if too dry.
- Press all of the lentil loaf mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Pack it down as firmly as you can as this will help it to hold together after cooling.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your glaze ingredients. Using a pastry brush or spoon, spread all of the glaze over the top of the lentil loaf.
- Bake the lentil loaf, uncovered at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until the edges start to darken and the loaf is semi-firm to the touch. Place the loaf pan directly onto a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then, slide a knife around the edges to loosen, and carefully lift out the loaf (using parchment paper as handles) and place it directly onto the cooling rack for another 30 minutes.
- After cooling, carefully slice the loaf into slabs. Serve immediately! The loaf will continue to firm up as it cools. Crumbling is normal if sliced while warm. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from ohsheglows.com