If you are looking to serve a delicious vegetarian dinner, this veggie meatloaf is the perfect choice. When you start with two convenience items from the store, the prep work takes less than 10 minutes. You won’t have to chop or sauté anything to get started!
Unlike my vegan meatloaf, this recipe relies on eggs and cottage cheese for texture and binding. The loaf holds together beautifully, slices easily, and has more than 20% protein per serving.
It’s a perfect gluten-free main course for a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it’s also easy enough to enjoy as a regular weeknight dinner.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“This loaf was excellent. Delicious flavor and texture. Even carnivores liked it.” -Annie
Veggie Meatloaf Ingredients
- Lentils. I highly recommend shopping for cooked lentils to save yourself some time. You can buy these canned or in a vacuum-sealed pack at the store. This recipe assumes you’re using cooked green or brown lentils, which have a firmer texture than red lentils do.
- Brown Rice. Use a shortcut and start with frozen, reheated rice so you don’t have to cook anything extra before getting started. (I buy frozen rice from Trader Joe’s, but you can also cook this ahead of time and freeze in 1-cup portions for easy reheating.)
- Cottage Cheese. This adds a magical texture and protein to the meatloaf. Don’t skip it! And use full-fat when possible.
- Eggs. These bind the loaf together and help it rise as it bakes.
- Parmesan. This is added for flavor and texture.
- Walnuts. When pulsed in a food processor, the walnuts act as an alternative to breadcrumbs, only they’re naturally gluten-free.
- Dried Spices. These add flavor with no extra chopping. You’ll need garlic powder, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper.
How to Make Vegetarian Meatloaf
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Prepare a loaf pan by lightly spraying it with oil, then press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan. This will ensure you can easily remove the lentil loaf later.
Add the walnuts to a food processor and pulse them briefly until they resemble coarse flour.
Step 2:
Add in the cooked lentils, rice, parmesan, cottage cheese, eggs, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Pulse several times until the mixture looks well combined, but not pureed.
There should still be plenty of texture!
Step 3:
Transfer the meatloaf mixture to the prepared pan, then spread it out evenly with a spatula.
Bake at 375ºF for 1 hour, or until the top has risen in the center and feels relatively firm to the touch. (It’s okay if it’s a little juicy looking when you press on it.)
Serving Tips
Let the lentil loaf cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing into it. The loaf may flatten as it cools. Slice into 1-inch thick pieces for a hearty main course.
Storage Tip
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in an oven at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the center is heated through again.
- 1 cup walnuts (not roasted or salted)
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 ½ cups cooked brown lentils
- 1 cup cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Preheat the oven to 375ºF and lightly grease a 9″ by 5″ loaf pan. Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan, so the loaf will be easy to remove later.
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Add the walnuts to a 12-cup food processor fitted with an “S” blade. Process briefly, until the walnuts are coarsely ground, almost like a flour. Next, add in the cooked rice, lentils, cottage cheese, Parmesan, eggs, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture 6 to 8 times, until it looks evenly mixed but not pureed. There should still be plenty of texture.
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Transfer the meatloaf mixture to the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly on top. Bake at 375ºF for 1 hour, or until the top rises in the center and feels relatively firm to the touch. (It’s okay if juices are visible when the loaf is pressed.)
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Let the loaf cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. The top may flatten as it cools. Then use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan. Slice and serve warm with your favorite holiday sides and gravy.
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Leftover vegetarian meatloaf can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in the oven at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the center is warm again.
I do not recommend making substitutions with this recipe, as the texture is perfect as written. You may swap the walnuts for pecans if you need to, but the cottage cheese and parmesan contribute to both the texture and flavor.
Time-Saving Tip: You can buy frozen brown rice to easily reheat for this recipe, or cook it from scratch a few days before you plan on making this recipe. You can also cook the lentils ahead of time, or buy vacuum-sealed lentils from the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
Vegan Option: If you need an egg-free or dairy-free meatloaf, be sure to try my tested Vegan Meatloaf recipe, instead.
Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 507mg | Potassium: 271mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 2mg
More Healthy Holiday Recipes
If you try this vegetarian meatloaf recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like it.
