Vegan Meatloaf with Brown Rice and BBQ Sauce

Glazed with barbecue sauce, learn how to make vegan meatloaf made with Success® Brown Rice, oatmeal, mushrooms and lentils.

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Cooking time
PREP TIME 20 mins
Cooking time
COOK TIME 50 mins
Servings
SERVES 6
Ready in
TOTAL TIME 1hr 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 bag Success® Brown Rice
  • nonstick spray
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 lb mushrooms, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup walnut halves
  • 1 can (19 oz) lentils, drained and rinsed, divided
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 6 tbsp ground flax meal
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, divided
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

Instructions

  • Glazed in your favorite barbecue sauce, this vegan meatloaf is rich, hearty and comforting. A perfect meatless meal, you’ll want to whip this up again and again.

    Step 1

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare rice according to package directions. Allow to cool completely. Coat a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with enough parchment paper to overhang edges.

    Step 2

  • Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet set over high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until starting to brown. Add onion and garlic and cook for an additional 5 to 8 minutes, until tender and liquid evaporates. Allow to cool slightly.

    Step 3

  • Pulse walnuts in the bowl of a food processor, until crumbly. Add the mushroom mixture, half of the rice, half of the lentils and parsley. Purée until coarsely ground and ingredients come together into a paste-like mixture. Combine walnut mixture with remaining rice, lentils, bread crumbs, oats, flax meal, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce and soy sauce in a large bowl.

    Step 4

  • Scrape mixture into prepared loaf pan and smooth top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and set.

    Step 5

  • Brush loaf with remaining barbecue sauce and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until barbecue sauce is bubbling and sticky. Let stand for 15 minutes. Using parchment paper, lift loaf from pan. Cut into slices and serve.

    Recipe Tips

    For a kid-friendly meal, serve the meatloaf with additional barbecue sauce or ketchup for dipping.

    For a complete meal, serve our meatloaf alongside your family’s favorite steamed or roasted veggies.

Vegan Comfort Food

Making a vegan “meatloaf” can be simple and delicious! It all combines down to finding the right plant-based ingredients and flavors, and we’ve done just that.

For the right texture, make sure to start with a hearty base. Ours includes cooked, whole grain brown rice and lentils. To cut down on cook time, use a quality, quick-cooking rice, such as our Success® Boil-in-Bag Brown Rice, which is ready in just 10 minutes! To add more flavor, boil the rice in vegetable broth or water with oil and seasonings.

To get the flavor just right, we start this recipe with mushrooms sautéed with garlic and onion. We then blend these with walnuts, parsley, some lentils and rice. Once that is ready, we combine the mixture with the remaining lentils and rice, bread crumbs, oats and flax meal. The texture is just right to give our dish the proper loaf shape. Combined with barbecue sauce and soy sauce, our vegan meatloaf has tons of umami flavor that the whole family will love!

Once the meatloaf is golden brown and set, we recommend that you brush it with more of your favorite barbecue sauce or ketchup for a rich and comforting meal.

Vegan Inspiration!

Are you on the look-out for more comforting, plant-based vegan meals? This savory Mushroom Garlic Quinoa is a risotto-like, plant-powered meal that’s sure to impress. Or, try our flavorful Whole Grain Spanish Rice for a flavor fiesta! Also check out: How to cook Spanish Rice. 

How to Make Vegan Meatloaf

Made with a filling blend of lentils, Success® Brown Rice, nuts, seeds, veggies and herbs, this Vegan Meatloaf is the real deal, it manages to replicate the real thing without sacrificing any of the taste and texture.

When you have your mixture ready, coat an oven proof loaf pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper and pour the mixture in, being careful to smooth the top. Bake until your meatloaf is a nice golden brown color and brush the top with some BBQ sauce and leave to sit for a bit before serving.

When you are ready to serve your meatloaf, lift it out of the baking pan using the parchment paper.

Can you add Tofu to Meatloaf?

Yes! Although this particular recipe doesn’t specifically call for it, tofu makes an excellent additional protein that you can add to your vegan meatloaf.

How do I make Vegan Meatloaf Hold Together?

Typically meatloaf is held together by some sort of binding agent like egg. However if you are making a vegan meatloaf, how do you make sure it doesn’t fall apart? Luckily there are plenty of vegan alternatives for binding agents. This recipe for example uses a mixture of ingredients like Success® Brown Rice, flax meal, oats and breadcrumbs, however there are other vegan alternatives for keeping your meatloaf together like chia eggs.

What is the Secret to Perfect Meatloaf Texture?

Getting perfectly moist meatloaf is not as difficult as it sounds. Adding finely chopped and aromatic vegetables will make your meatloaf juicier along with adding in some additional flavor.

Making sure you use enough breadcrumbs will also give your meatloaf a nice texture as they will absorb all the liquids.

Finally you can also try cooking your meatloaf at a lower temperature. Cooking your meatloaf at too high of a temperature may cause it to dry out.

Best Vegan Meatloaf

This vegan meatloaf recipe made with  Success® Brown Rice is easy to make and the end result is a comforting, well presented, savory dish.

This recipe is proof of just how delicious vegan cooking can be! However you’ll want to take some extra time to make sure you have got the ingredients just right so your loaf has good texture and taste.