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This “meat”loaf is so hearty and flavorful, you’ll forget there’s no meat in it. It’s also a perfect way to repurpose leftover rice and lentils that you have on hand. The recipe is simple, yet is packed with many nutrients you’ll feel good about serving your family.
1 cup brown rice, uncooked, or 3 and 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 cup green lentils, uncooked, or 2 cups cooked lentils
1/4 cup Gefen Olive Oil
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped herbs (cilantro, parsley, chives, sage, rosemary, and/or thyme)
1 tablespoon Tuscanini Sea Salt
ground black pepper
Heaven & Earth Ketchup or barbecue sauce
If starting with uncooked rice: In a small saucepan, place the rice in two cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and allow the rice to stand for another 10 minutes before transferring it to a bowl to cool.
If starting with uncooked lentils: Cook the lentils in a small saucepan in two and a half cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the excess water and allow the lentils to cool to room temperature.
To prepare the vegetables, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and mushrooms and cook until they are tender, approximately 7-8 minutes. Once the vegetables are cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan.
Place one heaping cup each of the cooked rice, lentils, and vegetables in the container of a food processor. Pulse 6 to 7 times until the mixture begins to form a ball and gets sticky. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the remaining cooked lentils, rice, and vegetables. Stir in the egg, herbs, salt, and pepper. Scoop the mixture into the prepared pan and drizzle tomato or barbecue sauce over it.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the outside has a slight crunch. Remove from the pan and serve warm.
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My partner and I laughed when I told her I was going to try a lentil loaf for supper, but we were delighted! This is the only lentil loaf I have enjoyed. I mucked it up a bit and ended up mixing in the ketchup with the loaf but it didn’t have a negative impact at all! It was superb thank you!
Your comment made our day! 😄 We’re so glad you enjoyed the ‘meat’ loaf, and hey, a little ketchup creativity never hurt anyone – it’s all about making it your own!
Freezer Friendly? Do you think this would freeze well?
Definitely.
This was a healthy, tasty meal! I added a little bit of jalapeno and bell pepper, plus a couple of garlic cloves. It could still use a little more of something to balance the flavor. The mushrooms I happened to have on hand were oyster mushrooms, which were delicious, though I wonder if a meatier mushroom would have worked better. If I make this again, I may experiment a bit with some spices and maybe try a mixture of lentil types.