Recipe: Lentil Loaf

Lentil loaf with sweet chili sauce, quinoa, and red sauerkraut = delicious!

(Read all the Super Frugal Grocery Challenge posts here!)

A few months ago I decided that I was going to be more intentional about using up my pantry staples, which included a ton of dried beans. I stared down the half-gallon jar of brown lentils, decided that a gallon of lentil soup just didn't sound good, and began brainstorming ways to eat these easy-to-cook legumes in other contexts.

I soon hit upon the idea of the lentil loaf, which is similar in principle and technique to a meatloaf, but with a more plant-based texture. I make a couple loaf pans at a time and we eat slices in sandwiches, crumble and fry the loaf for a meaty texture in spaghetti sauce or tacos, and even thinly slice it to top pizza. 

I learned to make lentil loaf using this recipe from The Simple Veganista, (and please check out that recipe if you want to be sure the loaf will turn out), but now I use more of a method than a recipe. This technique is great for using up leftover beans of any kind, as long as lentils make up at least 50% of the legumes to create that earthy flavor.

Easy Lentil Loaf

Supplies: 

Large pot

Loaf pans (probably could also use a cake pan)

Ingredients: 

Dry lentils (or just used canned lentils)

Oats (quick oats are best, but I use old-fashioned in a pinch)

Flour of some kind (can grind up oats to make flour, or use wheat flour)

Cooked beans, optional (I like to use refried beans)

Bread crumbs, optional

Flax seed or an egg, optional

Lots of spices (garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, liquid smoke, a splash of balsamic or apple cider vinegar, etc.)

Salt and pepper

Oil, for greasing the pans

Ketchup, barbecue sauce, sweet chili sauce, or other sauce, for topping

Cook the lentils in a big pot by bringing them to a boil with lots of water, then simmering them for about 20 minutes, until they're a bit mushy.

Uncooked lentil loaf

Drain off the water and mash the lentils with a potato masher or fork. Salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Add all of the other ingredients, tasting often to make sure the flavor balance is correct. It should hold together when you press it with a spoon, but you should be able to see visible lentils.

Grease some loaf pans and pack in the mixture into them. Pour some sort of sauce over the top (sweet chili sauce and kung pao sauce are delicious!).

Place the pans in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Check to see if the mixture seems done, and if not, continue cooking another 10-15 minutes.

Pull it out of the oven, let it cool a bit, and then slice it up. Enjoy!

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