Meatless Loaf with Gravy

Heyy Stephanie, so glad you loved the flavour! 😊 Red lentils can turn a bit grainy if they’re not cooked until very soft or if a few stay slightly intact. Next time, you could perhaps try simmering them a few extra minutes (adding a splash of water if needed). That said, curious to hear about your brown lentil experiment if you give it a try! 🤓 Just a heads up that brown lentils might need a little more water and a longer cook time, perhaps about 4 to 4½ cups of water and 25 to 30 minutes, until very tender if I had to guess. If there’s any extra water left, you could drain it off. Let us know how it goes! And happy cooking✨

Hey Teresa, aw how thoughtful that you want to make a homemade meal for your friend! You can likely make this with gluten-free bread crumbs, and tamari instead of the soy and Worcestershire sauce. We haven’t tried it ourselves, so it’s hard to say with certainty exactly how it'll turn out, though. You can also try making the gravy with cornstarch in place of the flour - perhaps about 3 tbsp first dissolved in a splash of cold water. It should help to thicken it up nicely.

If you’d like a recipe that’s a bit less experimental, our “Lentil Veggie Balls with Creamy Miso Gravy”, "Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce", "Mushroom Willington" or "Roasted Cauliflower with Spiced Apricot & Mushroom Sauce" have a similar feel and already are gluten-free or list swaps we're confident with 🫶✨

Hi!

Thanks for your (always) thoughtful answer 😊.

I will maybe try the Mushroom Wellington instead, since I usually am not the most confident at experiments in the kitchen 🫣. That's why this app (and the videos and previously the Pick Up Limes blog), are always my go to, since I can follow recipes more confidently that it is going to be good as long as I follow each step .

Thanks again, and a happy Christmas/festivities to all of the Pick Up Limes team!

Hi Briana, aww we’re so sorry to hear this one missed the mark for you. That’s always disappointing, especially when you put the effort in to make it all. The loaf is meant to be on the drier side (we tried several versions and found if it was too 'wet' it wouldn't hold together well enough), so serving it with the gravy is highly recommended to add moisture and flavour too. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience. Feedback like yours helps us improve our recipes and instructions moving forward 🫶✨

Yayy it always makes us smile to hear when a first-time recipe is enjoyed, Yuliia! ☺️

Hi there, Lindsey, thanks for taking the time to share your modifications with the recipe and feedback!

Hey there, Lelerol, thanks for taking the time to share your experience with the meatless loaf. Do you use a scale to measure the ingredients or use cup measures? For best results, we strongly recommend weighing the lentils and mushrooms. It sounds like the texture issue may be due to extra moisture. We'd recommend draining any excess liquid from the cooked lentils, if there is any for you, before mixing them with other ingredients. Additionally, ensure that the mushroom mixture is fully cooked and any excess moisture is evaporated. You can add a bit more breadcrumbs to help absorb some of your moisture. If your oven tends to be weaker, you can also try bumping the temperature up a touch. You could also try to bake this in a larger pan, like an 8 x 8 inch (20 cm) baking pan so the middle isn't a thick 😊

Thanks for the suggestions. Will probably try again as I did like the taste.

Hi! I find that refrigerating loaves like this really helps them firm up so they hold together and slice easier. I usually try to refrigerate for a few hours or sometimes overnight (even better). Hope that helps!

Ooo lovely ideas to adapt the recipe to what you had on hand, Kimberly! So happy to hear that the recipe was enjoyed 🤩

Mmm sounds lovely, Diane! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this 😃

We're so glad you enjoyed it, Alexis ☺️

So thrilled to hear your toddler enjoyed the loaf, Swati! Here's to more joyful and nourishing meals together 🤩

Awe we're so honoured that the loaf was part of the festivities and enjoyed, Fabi! Thank you 🥰

Hey Rita! We haven't tried freezing the whole loaf, only an individual slice which frozen well enough. It can come out of the freezer a bit dryer, though, so we'd recommend making the gravy fresh for the best results to pair with the loaf.

We also have some more Christmas recipes coming soon (you'll see them by the end of next week on the home page of the app) including Christmas menus and prep pages to help you prepare holiday meals stress-free, so stay tuned for that! 😃

Hopefully they’ll come very soon!!

Thanks Romane, we're glad the Meatless Loaf with Gravy was enjoyed 😊

Hey Vallen, thanks for the question and patience with any confusion. We recommend adding the water and lentils to a pot, bringing them to a boil, reducing it to a simmer, and then cooking the lentils uncovered and stirring occasionally until the water has been absorbed. It will take around 15 minutes. We'll update the step so it's more clear 🤗

So happy to hear, Don - thank you! Sandwiches is a lovely idea for the leftovers 🤗

Hey Magdalena, oh no! For better cohesion, try finely chopping the mushrooms; smaller pieces can help bind the loaf more effectively than larger chunks. Also, when slicing the meatloaf, opt for thicker slices as thinner ones tend to fall apart more easily. Regarding the dryness, it's important to ensure the lentil mixture isn't too dry. You'll see in the first step photo, the mixture should be somewhat moist, which contributes to the overall moisture of the loaf. While this recipe does produce a loaf that's on the drier side, serving it with the gravy makes a big difference - it adds not only a lovely taste but also moisture. I hope this helps for now! 🫶

Thank you so much for the tips! I think lentils were too dry, but gravy made it up for it:)

So happy to hear, Charlotte, thank you! 🫶