If you’re a vegan or just a regular ‘ol veggie lover, this Lentil Loaf with Classic Brown Onion Gravy needs to be on your Thanksgiving table. The hearty loaf is loaded with veggies, herb infused lentils, and fiber packed oats. It’s crazy healthy but doesn’t actually taste crazy healthy, which is essential at Thanksgiving when calorie counting goes out the window. The brown onion gravy is equally sinful, minus the sin (there’s only a tablespoon of olive oil in three cups worth! And, just like the loaf, it’s gluten free). Now, I’m not one of those crazies that’s all about eating obsessively clean, even on holidays, but the flavors of the veggies, lentils, and savory sage and thyme are truly the stars here, rendering all that excess butter and fat completely unnecessary. My sister described it as your favorite lentil soup, in loaf form. My husband said it’s like a lentil based stuffing. Both sound pretty awesome to me.

Besides being healthy on the down low, both the lentil loaf and gravy are ridiculously easy to make. The loaf requires an hour of cooking time, but if you prepare the lentils the day before – or even two days before – the prep time is only about 20 minutes, with the bulk of that time spent chopping veggies. So, you know, get your sous chef to take care of that, meaning that well meaning cousin/aunt/grandkid who realllly wants to help in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. The brown onion gravy – which I developed based on the filling from my Loaded Vegan Pot Pies – comes together with equal ease. It’s perfect spooned over the lentil loaf, but let’s face it, on top of mashed potatoes is where you’re really going to put it, as you should.

While this loaf is the perfect main for any holiday table, I’ve been eating leftovers with brown rice and whatever veggies I have on hand – roasted sweet potatoes, sautéed broccoli and kale – for a new take on a Buddha Bowl. Sometimes I reheat slices in the oven to get all those yummy crispy edges but it’s equally tasty nuked in the microwave, which also keeps it super moist. Drizzled with some cashew sour cream and tomatillo salsa, and you’ve got one satisfying and nourishing meal for anytime of year.

Lentil Loaf with Classic Brown Onion Gravy

 

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Serves 4 - 6.

Author: The Mostly Vegan

Ingredients

Lentil Loaf

• 1 cup green or brown lentils
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
• ½ cup carrots, finely diced
• ½ cup celery, finely diced
• ½ cup crimini mushrooms, finely diced
• ½ cup broccoli florets, finely diced*
• ¼ cup frozen peas
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1, 8 ounce can no salt added tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos**
• 1 cup old fashioned oats

Classic Brown Onion Gravy

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried ground sage
• ½ teaspoon dried ground thyme
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos***
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

Lentil Loaf

1. Combine lentils, vegetable broth, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper in a small pot. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook covered until lentils are very soft, 40 - 50 minutes. Remove from heat and allow lentils to cool. Do not drain. Lentils can be prepared up to two days in advance. Allow to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, ground thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables except for peas and sauté 5 minutes more.
3. Add peas, lentils, tomato sauce and coconut aminos to pot, and continue to sauté until mixture is heated through, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and use a potato masher to roughly mash mixture. (You want the majority of your lentils and veggies to be whole, mashing a small amount will simply help bind the loaf.)
4. Add oats to pot and stir to combine. Pour mixture into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Use a wooden spoon to spread out the lentils evenly and press down firmly into the edges.
5. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until the edges of the loaf are dark brown and beginning to pull away from the edges of the pan. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing. Serve warm with Classic Brown Onion Gravy spooned on top.
6. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven or microwave.

Classic Brown Onion Gravy

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium - high heat. Add onion, garlic, ground sage and thyme, salt, and pepper to the pan. Sauté until onions are very soft and cooked down, about 8 minutes. Add coconut aminos and scrape away any browned bits from bottom of pan.
2. Transfer onion and garlic mixture into a blender and add vegetable broth. Blend until very smooth and pour back into pan. Bring gravy to a simmer. Whisk cornstarch with ¼ cup water and slowly pour into gravy. Simmer 5 minutes more until gravy is thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Makes about 3 cups of gravy. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

* Finely dice all of your vegetables so that they're roughly the same size as your cooked lentils. I use frozen broccoli florets, which I allow to thaw for a few minutes before dicing.
** I highly recommend buying coconut aminos, which have a much milder and sweeter taste than traditional soy sauce. However, if you can't find coconut aminos, substitute with low sodium soy sauce, tamari (gluten free), or vegan Worcestershire sauce.
*** Can substitute with low sodium soy sauce or tamari.

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