Meatloaf is no-nonsense comfort food but even when I ate meat, I had a strong dislike of minced beef (or minced meat in any form). I found it to be gristly and fatty. I have, however, always loved nut roasts.
There is something so quaintly, wonderfully retro about both Meatloaf AND Nut Roast and indeed, they are basically a bunch of seasoned ingredients, slammed into a loaf tin and baked.
To that end, my vegan Meatloaf/Nut Roast is basically that, but it combines the dense meaty texture of a meatloaf with the delicious wholesome flavour and goodness of a Nut Roast plus more flavour punch with an Enchilada sauce topping.
There are a lot of ingredients here but actually, they all just go into the food processor, no chopping, and that is pretty much it!
Contents
How do you make a Vegan Meatloaf Sandwich?
Why do I think this is the best vegan meatloaf ever? Well, it’s based on the finer elements of the traditional meatloaf, which is flavour, texture and the ability to put leftovers in a sandwich! Yes, if you’ve never tried a meatloaf sandwich, you’re missing out! Take a cold slice of meatloaf, fry it off in the pan on both sides, then put it between 2 slices of your favourite bread (I won’t judge), with maybe some ketchup or mustard. And enjoy!
Modifications to the Recipe
For my festive version of my vegan no-meat meatloaf, I love to change up the sauce by swapping out the enchilada sauce for my Puttanesca sauce. It’s a rich, spicy Italian sauce, decadent and delicious.
If you want to go even more festive, omit the sauce altogether and simply top your vegan meatloaf with a cornucopia of dried cranberries and nuts, then serve with your favourite gravy. The loaf itself is so moist that it won’t dry out during baking, and it looks absolutely stunning when you serve it on the festive table.
Can I Omit the Nuts Altogether?
For those of you with a nut-intolerance, allergy or your simply don’t like them, you can replace the nut element in the loaf with some cooked Quinoa or bulgur wheat instead. Simply substitute a cup of your favourite cooked grain and omit the walnuts.
Vegan Nut Roast Recipe
Equipment
- Loaf Pan
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Flour gluten free can be used here
- ½ cup Passata
- ½ cup Water
- 3 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Salt
No-Meatloaf
- 2 cups TVP soaked in 1 cup of water
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- 4 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- ¼ tsp Chilli Flakes optional
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Walnuts toasted
- ½ cup Olives your favourite type
- 2 Cloves Garlic peeled
- 7 oz Mushrooms
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 3 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion peeled
- 1 tbsp Parsley
- ¼ cup 70g Cornmeal for binding
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180c.
- To make the Enchilada Sauce, melt together the vegetable oil and flour in a small saucepan, cooking over medium heat until it turns golden.
- Add the Passata, water, Cumin and Salt and cook until the sauce is thickened and unctious, about 10 minutes.
- To make the meatloaf, place the soaked TVP in a large bowl.
- Put all the ingredients, upto (but not including) the flour into a food processor or blender and whizz up until you get a coarse pate-like texture. You may prefer to do the walnuts first, add this to the TVP and then the other ingredients. It doesn't matter.
- Add this to the TVP, stir well. If your mixture seems very wet, add some cornmeal (or regular flour) to bind it slightly. Not too much as you want to keep it moist.
- Pack it into a loaf tin and cover with the Enchilada Sauce.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top looks burnished and you’ve got those yummy toasty bits around the side.
- Leave in the pan to settle for about 10 minutes before serving.
- Best served with – of course – mashed potatoes, green beans and ketchup!
Nutrition
I am loving this holiday meat loaf! I gave it a test run and it was a huge hit! Totally adding it to my menu!
Excited to try this recipe, thanks for sharing!