Happy Meatless Monday veggie lovers! With Tina off and enjoying her first few weeks of marriage, I have Lisa from Run Wiki joining me as co host today. Please remember to visit her blog today too!
I’ve been wanting to make a lentil loaf for a while so with all of the great summer veggies that are out, I thought it the perfect time to give it a go. I like to think of it as a Vegetarian Meatloaf of sorts.
Lentils are a powerhouse in the nutrition world. They are a great source of protein,iron, folate & magnesium all of which can be hard for vegetarians to get into their diets. Lentils are low in calories and are thought to reduce cholesterol levels. In addition, lentils are a complex carb with soluable fiber believed to help stabilize blood sugar levels. So why aren’t you eating more lentils?
I took some super sweet corn and zucchini and used those to flavor and color my lentil loaf. You could easily use mushrooms or squash or whatever veggies you have around. For the lentils, I find it’s easier to use canned or pre packaged lentils rather than soaking them but either way works. If using canned, I rinse and drain first.
It smelled so good while it was cooking!
Summer Veggie Lentil Loaf
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Protein packed lentils and summer veggies make this lentil loaf a nutritional powerhouse. Super satisfying and healthy dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 C of cooked lentils-drained & rinsed
- 1 C fresh corn
- 1 zucchini-diced
- 1/2 onion-chopped
- 1 egg
- 3/4 c bread crumbs or GF sub
- salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme to taste
- 1 1/2 C of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Spicy Stubbs)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Add lentils to a mixing bowl and gently mash with a fork until smooth
- Add corn, zucchini, onion and combine
- Add egg and spices and 1/2 C of BBQ sauce
- Gently fold in bread crumbs to combine
- Coat a casserole dish with non stick spray (can also use a loaf pan)
- Transfer lentil mixture to casserole and form into loaf
- Pour on remaining BBQ sauce to cover
- Bake for 45m until golden brown
- Allow to rest 5 min before slicing into pieces
This was a really satisfying and filling dinner with lots of healthy carbs and protein. Hope you give it a try and enjoy!
What’s your favorite way to enjoy lentils?
You recipes always look so amazing. This one is definitely a keeper, it is filled with absolutely everything I love. Have a great week !
Well thanks friend hope you give it a try!
I’ve never made a lentil loaf before but this looks yummy!!!
Thanks-great protein and fiber. Hard to photograph 🙂
I’ve never heard of a lentil loaf before, but what a unique way to enjoy them! Usually my grandma just makes a sort of lentil soup/stew that is delicious on a cold winter day!
It’s a great way to pack in the veggie protein for sure.
Which color lentils do you use? I’ve cooked with them some before and I know the texture is very different between the kinds.
I used the black lentils in this recipe but I do think it work with any of them. Hope you like it!
Lentil loaf? I’ll have to try this one out, lord knows I have TONS of summer veggies to use up! Great recipe Deborah!
Thanks it was really good hope you give it a try
Funny! A lentil loaf has been on my list of things to try!!! Your looks like a yummy place to start. LOVE the BBQ sauce in it.
Thanks the bbq is great just like a meat loaf. Very tasty hard to photograph:)
I’ve been thinking about making a lentil loaf this fall and experimenting with recipes. I’m going to start with yours . It sounds delicious!
Thanks it was surprisingly yummy and very filling
Thanks for the recipe, it sounds great. I have lots of zucchini to use up.
I love lentil loaf! This is a cool summery spin! Fresh summer corn is such a great addition.
thanks I love it now too! The corn was great in there for some added texture.
Love it! Lentils are great for plant protein!
Lentil loaves sound delicious! I’ve made lentil cakes and lentil patties, but never a lentil loaf :-). I’m sure my fabulous aquafaba would work as the egg replacement! Thanks for hosting the linkup!
Yes I bet it would hope you give it a go!
Sounds good! I make lentils all the time but I’ve never tried lentil loaf. For some reason, I’ve been intimidated by the thought of doing something like this and worrying it won’t set up right. But I’m sure it would be delicious even if it crumbled so I really should try it.
it was really tasty. I was worried about it falling apart as well. The bread crumbs help!
For some weird reason I’ve been craving meatloaf recently… I always thought of it as a fall food, but I can’t stop wanting to make a vegetarian variation… and this might take the cake… or loaf : ) Thanks so much for sharing!
Ooh I hope it does and that you enjoy it. 🙂
Vegetarian recipes like this intrigue me. Even though I DO eat meat, it’s fun to try recipes with alternative ingredients like this. Looks great!
Thanks! It was really tasty and full of protein
You know, I’ve had lentils sitting in my cabinet FOREVER and haven’t used them. This gives me the perfect excuse!
oh yes go for it!
This looks lovely! Nutty flavored lentils are a great sub for meat.
They are and really filling too!
Awesome recipe! For lentils (and any type of bean really) I like to bulk prep them in the crock pot. They don’t need to be rinsed first. You can even cook them on low overnight (if you don’t get enough sleep like me, haha) and they are done in the AM. You can prep a big batch and freeze them, and they are a lot cheaper than canned or prepackaged! The only bean you can’t do this with is red beans… those need to be boiled first to get rid of a toxin they produce. Hope you have a good week and thanks for sharing the recipe <3
Thanks for the great tips I did not know that! I do love them though
This looks delicious! One of our friends made a lentil loaf in the form of a bundt cake for thanksgiving a couple years ago. It was yummy!
That’s an interesting idea too!
Great way to use up those summer veggies… and good recipe for me to use up my lentils I’ve been feeling unmotivated with…
Ah glad I could help 🙂
Whatttt??! Lentil loaf! My hubby and I are totally into lentils right now so this couldn’t have come at a better time. I always say it and I’ll say it again, if anyone was going to convince me to be a vegetarian it would be you and your Monday blog posts 😉
LOl thanks friend! Hope you and the hubby enjoy
I swear I tried this some years ago when I was not eating meat and it wasn’t half bad. Now you are making me want to put ketchup on it for some reason. LOL. Is that wine?
It was surprisingly yummy (but super hard to photograph) you could use ketchup I just prefer bbq sauce. Yes that’s wine 🙂
Sounds yummy! I’m not baking anything in my house these days because it’s too hot, but this looks like a good winter meal.
It sure is hot! This super easy and would be great in the winter with some potatoes.
My lentil obsession is out of this world!! I’m so making something similar. I made one with apple and celery last year and I think I made it too complicated. Can’t wait to try an easier version like the one here!
This was pretty easy and you can really use any veggies you have around.
The other day I opened an old cookbook and a recipe for lentil loaf fell out.. true story. I think it’s a sign– I need to make this! I love how you eat. Thank you so much for allowing me to co-host with you today– such a great pleasure! Let’s do it again someday soon! xoxo
Ah thanks for sure a sign and thank you for helping out today!
This looks great! I make marinated lentils that include a bunch of veggies and a tangy marinade. Such a tasty and filling side dish!
That sounds great too!
Looks great! My sister is supposed to be bringing me some Zucchini soon from her garden, and she says there is lots of it and although I love zucchini bread, a gal can only eat so much of it. I think it will be fun to try new things with it. Thanks for sharing!
OH great hope you give it a try!
Wow, I love lentils! I’m going to save this one for the winter.
I love them too so healthy!
Another delicious recipe! Thanks for always sharing such delicious eats with us!
Thanks for reading them!
I might have to try this!! I have some leftover lentils I cooked for a salad a few days ago and I need to do something with them. Thanks for the suggestion!
Hope you enjoy!
We never do meatless Monday at our house but all these recipes I think I might need to try. This looks great/
You might have to start! They might not even notice
I am not sure if I am a lentil fan or not? With an allergy to beef I usually shy away from anything that looks like meat loaf but now you have my attention. Interesting idea! 🙂
If you try it let me know! I didn’t know you had a beef allergy-I’ve never heard of that.
I have a curried tomato lentil soup that I love …..
ooh maybe you will link it up as it gets colder
You’re on a roll with delicious meat free recipes. I love cooking with lentils.
They are really good aren’t they?!
I have never cooked w lentils just had them in soups. This sounds good. A great alternative to meatloaf which I do not like bc it is ground beef.
absolutely a great sub hope you like it!
It looks really yummy. I’m on a Keto diet, but will make this for my kids this weekend.
Thanks hope they enjoy!
I want to like lentils so bad, but I can’t get past the texture :/
Hmm don’t know how to help with that one!
Yum!I love meatloaf and have never tried/seen a vegetarian option. I love lentils though and usually only have them in lentil soup so this would be a fun way to mix it up!
I hope you enjoy it’s a nice way to mix it up
I need to make a lentil loaf! I love lentils. I keep telling myself to go for it but have yet to do it. After seeing your recipe I will have to try my hand at one soon. I’m thinking I can switch out the egg with egg replacer and it should work well (just because I don’t eat eggs). I’ll probably have to wait till next month because it’s so hot here but I can see it being a cooler month staple. I’ll let you know how my version turns out. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
I think you can certainly switch out the eggs. Let me know how it turns out!
I am a huge lentil fan! As with all of your recipes, this looks delicious!! Love the corn and zucchini in this! xx
Thanks so much! It’s easy to make and super tasty
I was wondering what you slathered on top of it. I must take a look at the brand. I love lentils and they are not the easiest to photograph. So, I can imagine your effort and the photography challenge there even as it appeared loaf like and delish. 🙂
They are not easy to photograph at all but they taste great. It’s bbq sauce on top as well.