Deniz loves meatloaf.  There’s something so wholesome and American about it.  We’ve made it a couple of times using different recipes and have found this one to be the best (so far).  It’s modified from Michael Chiarello’s Italian Meatloaf recipe, and adapted for our vegetarian diet and taste.  We really like the combination of the Morningstar fake meat and lentils.  Provides a great hearty texture that holds together well, and fantastic flavor.

Ingredients:

• 16 Morningstar Original Vegetarian Sausage Patties (2 packages)

Lentil mix:

• 1 c lentils
• 2 c veggie broth (1 Knorr vegetarian bullion cube dissolved in 2 c boiling water)

Veggie mix (may be diced together in a food processor for ease of preparation):

• 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 t garlic, chopped
• 2 medium onions, finely diced
• 2 red peppers, seeded, finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced

Meatloaf mix:

• ½ c basil leaves, chopped
• 2 T parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 t salt
• ½ t black pepper
• 2 c Parmesan, grated
• 1½ c breadcrumbs
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 4 eggs, beaten

Topping:

• 1 c marinara sauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the ingredients as described above.

Toast the veggie sausage patties in the oven for 14 minutes on 400°F. Pulse the toasted patties a food processor (or chop manually) to a ground beef consistency. 

Boil the Lentil Mix ingredients in a covered medium pot on medium-high heat for 20 minutes.  Lentils should still be firm, not mushy.  Remove the lentils from the heat and strain any remaining liquid. Pulse the boiled lentils 2 or 3 times in a food processor so that the lentils are no longer whole, but also are not mushy.

Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat.  Stir-fry the Veggie Mix ingredients until just soft. Let cool.

Mix the ground patties, boiled lentils, stir-fried Veggie Mix, and the remaining Meatloaf Mix ingredients together in a large bowl.  Combine well to ensure the liquids, especially the egg, are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Spoon the mixture into an greased loaf pan.  If you do not have a loaf pan, form the mixture into a loaf shape on an greased oven tray or baking dish.  Do not pack the mixture down.   Top with the marinara sauce, making sure to spread evenly over the top.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.