I used to love meatloaf sandwiches. Since abandoning those days, I've tried a couple of nut loaves and lentil loaves, but nothing really matched the texture. Nothing made for a satisfying sandwich. So, finally, I started playing with ingredients and arrived on this recipe. It's got great texture, just firm enough to hold together when hot and perfect for cold sandwiches the next day. And it was moist as well. I added coconut milk (yummy saturated fat) and minced onions to the loaf to keep it from dying out and it worked like a charm. Just make sure you chop your onions very finely.
Vegan Meatloaf
Bulgur Mixture:
1/2 cup bulgur
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup coconut milk (small can)
2 tbs vegan Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbs steak sauce
Dry Ingredients:
6 oz tempeh, grated
1 onion, very finely chopped
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 tbs ground flax seed
1/2 tsp Marmite (optional, but very good)
1 tsp browning sauce (optional, for color)
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
Herbs:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp fresh oregano, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced (or 1/8 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup parsley, chopped
Glaze:
1/3 cup ketchup
Combine the bulgur with the wet ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir and remove from heat. Set aside, allowing the bulgur to absorb the moisture, for about 20 minutes. It will still be a bit saucy.
Meanwhile, start grating & chopping. Combine all the dry ingredients and herbs, EXCEPT the vital wheat gluten. When the bulgur is ready, stir together with the dry ingredients. Add the vital wheat gluten and knead with you hand for a couple minutes, allowing the gluten to fully hydrate. Form into a loaf and place into a greased bread pan. Spread the remaining ketchup on top of the loaf. Cover with tin foil.
A few minutes before you're ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 60 minutes, removing the foil for the final 15 minutes of cooking. Let cool for 5 minutes.
6 servings: 312 cal ( 14g fat, 28g carbs, 22g protein)
Garlic chana dal.
1 day ago
This looks so amazing, I'm having a hard time keeping myself from licking the screen. Must make tonight! Thanks for sharing.
Yes! More uses for bulgur!! Looks delicious!
I've been thinking about trying out some new 'meatloaves'. But I have to say what sold me was the marmite... That stuff is addictive.
http://misskitchenwitch.blogspot.com
I always liked meatloaf better when it was leftover. I'll definitely be trying your recipe. I haven't had much luck with other vegan "meat"loaf recipes yet, they come out too mushy.
That looks delicious and I've been dying to find a vegan meatloaf recipe that actually tastes good!
So, I'm not a huge fan of tempeh and I'm not all that familiar with it... is there a brand you would recommend over others? Do I need to do anything to it prior to grating (and I'm guessing I just use a box grater for it)? Thanks!
Maida - I use Sutura brand, primarily because it comes in 12 oz packages and because it is made locally. If you don't use much, tempeh does freeze well. This recipe doesn't have much of a temeph flavor, but if you wish you can boil then cool it before you grate it. And yes, I use a box grater.
Kiersten - definitely try it. I'm really pleased with the texture. It's a little crumbly right out of the oven but not at all mushy and it's so good cold.
Kitchen Witch - Marmite FTW!
I too have been searching for a great vegan meatloaf, so I'll give yours a try! It looks great, and I love that it's made from real foods and not tvp or something like that.
oh I am so making this! The only meatloaf recipe I know is with TVP, which I hate using. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
wow- you did make it look almost like a real meat one! Thanks for sharing it!
I didn't even like meatloaf (even though I was often subjected to it growing up) until I became vegan and started eating meat-free versions of it! This one looks delicious!
Amazing! Just tried it tonight and am in love. I've been craving something like this for about 13 years now. Thanks so much for sharing! Happy bellies all around.
Ooh, I am going to make this! Thanks for sharing!
Yes. This looks fantastic. I am making this for dinner sometime this week.
BTW, love the blog! You have some really tasty recipes!
I made this for dinner tonight for my family (with the mashed potatoes and chickpea gravy from Vegan with a Vengeance and glazed carrots) -- very, very good!
I think next time, instead of simply doing ketchup on top, I'll take my mom's old meatloaf sauce approach, which combines ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, and brown sugar. Oh I'm already excited!
Thanks for a great recipe!
Made this recipe today and it is DELICIOUS and has a very traditional meatloaf taste and texture. Thanks so much - this will definitely be a regular on our table!
Made this over the course of two days, largely because I realized as I was prepping the recipe that I was out of vital wheat gluten (and that what I thought was VWG in my freezer was sorghum flour). I discovered that the recipe sans VWG holds up pretty well covered in the refrigerator for at least 16 hours, but you really have to knead the VWG into the cold bulgur-tempeh-oat-onion mixture, which I'm sure is more pleasant to do while the mix is still warm. Also, since my supermarket was out of parsley, I subbed spinach instead. I'm sure it lacked that great parsley pungency, but the spinach did well. And the meatloaf was delicious. DELICIOUS. Thanks for posting it.
This was a big hit! We loved it cold,as leftovers too! I used almond milk instead of coconut, I'm sure you could use any milk and it would be fine.
Thanks! I posted a picture on my Pinterest.
My grandmother used to make a loaf using white beans, walnuts, and marmite (among other good stuff). Although it was delicious, this recipe looks like it might edge hers out by a nose. Can't wait to try it.