These Vegan Lentil Meatloaf Cups are the perfect main dish for your holiday table!
Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week?! It’s still pretty warm here so I’m not quite feeling in the holiday spirit yet, but hopefully I will soon! I am fully prepared to eat all the holiday food though 🙂
In the past I haven’t done a great job sharing holiday recipes, but this year I’m ramping it up and have some tasty ones prepared! Last week I shared my Maple Sesame Ginger Roasted Brussels Sprouts and today I’m excited to share these Vegan Lentil Meatloaf Cups.
I feel like holiday sides are pretty easy to make vegetarian, but the main course can be a little trickier. Sometimes I’m tempted to go completely untraditional and make pizza, but I always know I’ll regret it, and I’m pretty sure my husband would cry haha.
These Lentil Meatloaf Cups are the perfect main dish for your vegetarian/vegan Thanksgiving or Christmas! They’re flavorful, filling and go so well with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes.
These would also be great for a cozy winter dinner, you certainly don’t have to just enjoy them during the holidays 🙂
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Vegan Lentil Meatloaf Cups
Prep Time: 25 mins- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 12
Category: Dinner, Vegan, Gluten Free
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Pin RecipeDescription
A filling and flavorful vegetarian/vegan holiday main dish!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown lentils, dry
- 3 cups vegetable broth, or water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup small diced carrot
- 1 cup small diced celery
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs, gluten free if necessary
- 1 tablespoon ketchup, plus more for the top
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 2 1/2 tbsp water, let sit for 2-3 minutes)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Place the lentils and broth in a medium saucepan and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer until lentils are tender and liquid is gone, 20-25 minutes.
- While lentils are cooking, heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil, diced vegetables, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook vegetables until tender, about 12 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Add the cooked veggies to a food processor and blend until they’re minced, about 1 minutes. Next, add the lentils and give it a few small pulses. You want some of the lentils to still be whole.
- Add lentils and veggie mixture to a large bowl and then add in the bread crumbs, ketchup, flax egg, parsley, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Mix until everything is combined.
- Spray a standard size muffin tin with cooking spray. Use a 1/4 scoop to scoop the mixture into the muffin tin. You should get 12 of them. Flatten the top of each meatloaf and squeeze about 1 teaspoon of ketchup on top of each.
- Place the meatloaves in the oven and bake until the tops are slightly crispy, about 20-25 minutes. Let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before removing.
Can the ketchup be replaced with cranberry sauce? Thanks, great recipe as always! Xoxo
Definitely! 🙂
Yum! Just made these tonight and am enjoying them! The recipe made 12 large-sized muffin rounds and a mini loaf as well. Took longer to make than estimated time, but well worth it! Thanks for the recipe!
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Hi Ali, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!! Sorry it took a little longer, I’ll look into the time again 🙂
My son is allergic to flax seed, is there another egg substitute I can use?!?
Hi Ebony, sorry for the delay, you could use chia eggs 🙂
Hi there! I can’t wait to try these. Do you think they would fair well being frozen so I can enjoy them one at a time please?
Hi Allison! Yes, I think they would freeze great! I’d wait to put the ketchup on them until you’re re-heating 🙂
Would it be ok to use almond flour or garbanzo bean flour in place of bread crumbs? I need to be grain and coconut free. Thx.
Definitely!
Hi. What can I use instead of brown lentils?
You could probably use chickpeas or another type of bean you prefer 🙂
Just made these for my husband to take to work in his lunch. The flavor is great, but I am not sure how dry they should be. The top and first 1/4 inch or so are crispy and a formed into a more solid loaf. The bottom 2/3 seems to be almost the same consistency of the lentil mixture before I baked them. Does this mean I need to bake them more?
Thanks
Hi Anne, I like to bake them to the point where the top is a little crispy and the middle is more soft but not mushy. It’s really up to you how crispy or soft you want them. I hope that helps 🙂
Made these the other night because my 5 year old looked at the picture and wanted to try them…mostly because of the ketchup topping! LOL! But a great dish, both kids ate it. Will be making it again with a few tweaks. Flavour was great. Mine came out a little dry but I think i may have over baked them a bit.
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Haha, that’s awesome! It’s always a win when the kids will eat them too! 🙂