Mini BBQ Mushroom Loaf

Mini BBQ Mushroom Loaf, inspired by a recipe from Healthful Pursuit, is an amazingly tasty vegetarian “meat” loaf dish. Packed with mushrooms, lentils, spinach, and the best BBQ sauce imaginable, this hearty and delicious mushroom loaf will make you forget about regular meatloaf forever. Best of all, the majority of the work for these personal sized meat loaves, is done in the food processor. Try this simple and delicious recipe immediately!

Mini BBQ Mushroom Loaf
Gluten Free
Makes Two Servings (2 Mini Loaves)
Adapted from Gluten Free + Vegan Lentil "Meat" Loaf
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients--
2 garlic cloves, minced
11-12 small cremini mushrooms, halved
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup cooked lentils*, divided
1/2 cup gluten free oats, divided
1/4 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
6 tablespoons HG BBQ Sauce , divided
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
Salt & Pepper
Optional: Additional BBQ sauce or hot sauce for serving

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two mini loaf pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and leave extra hanging over the sides to form "handles" so the loaves are easy to remove.













2. Add garlic, mushrooms, and spinach to the base of a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until ingredients are chopped, then scoop mixture into a medium mixing bowl.

3. Add 1/2 cup of lentils and 1/4 cup of oats to (now empty) food processor (don’t worry about wiping out food processor after pulsing vegetables, it won’t make a difference). Pulse mixture until smooth, then scoop into bowl with spinach mixture. Stir until combined.

4. Add quinoa flakes, egg substitute, 4 tablespoons of the BBQ sauce, fresh thyme, and salt/pepper, to taste,  to the mixing bowl. Stir well to evenly incorporate ingredients.

5. Evenly divide mixture between prepared loaf pans and smooth out the tops. Spread the top of  each mushroom loaf with 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce.



6. Transfer both loaf pans to the oven  and bake mini mushroom loaves 33-36 minutes or until golden brown on top, and a crust begins to form around the edges.

7. Remove pans from oven and place on cooling racks. Let  mushroom loaves cool in pan for 5 minutes before using “parchment handles” to carefully removing and placing on serving plates. Serve with additional BBQ or hot sauce, if desired. Enjoy!


Nutrition Information--approximately 265 calories per Mini Loaf

*To cook lentils, simply place in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer lentils until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain lentils and measure out 1/4 cup for burgers. (1/2 cup of dry lentils will yield about 1.5 cups cooked. Since you only need 1 cup for this recipe, you can save the rest for another use).