Lentil and Sweet Potato Meatloaf
This loaf brings traditional savory flavors together with a hint of sweetness from the potatoes. It holds together well and is surprisingly easy to prep. With batch-cooking sweet potatoes and having lentils at the ready, the food processor takes care of the rest of the work!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked brown lentils divided
- 1 cup cooked orange sweet potato flesh cooled
- 1/2 cup cooked red or Yukon Gold potato flesh cooled
- 1 medium-large clove garlic peeled
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 3 tablespoons dried onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 11/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
Topping Options
- 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato flesh
- 3-4 tbsp ketchup and/or natural barbecue sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray or wipe a glass loaf pan with a smidgen of oil and line with parchment paper, letting the paper overhang the sides of the dish.
- In a food processor, combine 1 cup of the lentils, the potatoes, garlic, tomato paste, tamari, onion flakes, flax meal, balsamic, tahini, oregano, thyme, celery seed, and black pepper. Puree briefly, until fairly well combined but not completely smoothed out. Add the remaining 1 cup lentils, the oats, and the pumpkin seeds and pulse a couple of times, scraping down the bowl as needed, until the mixture is fairly well combined but still has texture—take care not to overprocess. Remove the blade and use a silicone spatula to mix a little more by hand.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan. Smooth out with a spatula to evenly distribute the loaf in the dish. For the topping, you have a couple of options. You can mash the additional sweet potato and spread it over the top, then sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Or, you can go with a more traditional topping of ketchup or barbecue sauce, spreading it on top with a spatula or brush.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 6–7 minutes, until the topping is set. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes. Lift the loaf out of the dish using the parchment. Slice and serve!
Notes
Recipe Renewal! Leftover meatloaf?
- Break up leftovers into bite-size pieces and roll into “meatballs.” Bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes, or until heated through and browning in spots (or another few minutes for a crispier texture), and serve with pasta.
- Use in sandwiches or tortilla wraps for lunches.