Lentil loaf
A tender, savory lentil and vegetable loaf with a sticky, tangy ketchup glaze, the meatless meatloaf that slices neatly and makes great next-day leftovers.
- 110 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $0.69 a serving
- 250 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1 cup lentils, brown or green, rinsed
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup ketchup, divided
From your pantry
- 2½ cups water
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Each serving has about 250 calories, 12 g protein, 41 g carbs and 5 g fat, and costs about $0.69 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the lentils, water and ¼ teaspoon salt in a and over high heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
25 minutes, until very soft. and let cool 10 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Medium heatTimer: 25 min
the oven to 375°F and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with a strip of that hangs over the long sides.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Parchment paper. Parchment paper is a nonstick, oven-safe paper for lining pans. Food lifts right off and cleanup is easy, but don’t swap in wax paper or put parchment under the broiler.
How you’ll know: It lies flat in the pan, and the food slides off when you lift it.
Dolly’s tip: The overhang is a handle. It lets you lift the loaf out in one piece.Heat the oil in a over medium heat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heat
Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, 6 to 7 minutes, until soft.
Medium heatTimer: 6 min
Stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
Medium heat
Mash half the lentils in a big bowl, then mix in the rest of the lentils, the cooked vegetables, oats, eggs, ¼ cup ketchup, soy sauce, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper.
Dolly’s tip: It should hold together when you press it. If it feels wet, mix in more oats a spoonful at a time.Pack it firmly into the pan and smooth the top.
Stir the rest of the ketchup with the brown sugar and vinegar and spread it over the top.
45 to 50 minutes, until firm to the touch and the is sticky.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Glaze. A glaze is a thin, glossy coating, often sweet, brushed or spooned over food near the end. It adds shine and flavor, and because it has sugar, it can burn quickly.
How you’ll know: The food looks shiny and evenly coated, sticky at the edges but not blackened.
Timer: 47 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Let it rest in the pan 15 minutes, then lift it out, , and serve with mashed potatoes or a green vegetable.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Slice too soon and it crumbles. The rest is what lets it hold together.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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