Vegan Meatloaf! Am I allowed to say it’s a meatloaf? A classic, with a chickpea/tofu twist my vegan babies. I was really surprised by this one to be honest, I questioned if it could compare on any level to real meatloaf… and I’d say it gets there. It packs in the protein and has loads of flavor. I fed it to my family on Easter and they weren’t complaining, so it’s non-vegan approved b*tches.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 c white onion, diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, save liquid from can
- 6 oz extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or liquid amino
- 1/4 c ketchup
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke, optional
- 1 packet of meatloaf seasoning
OR - 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 4 tbsp chickpea liquid
- 1/2 c nondairy milk
- 3/4 c breadcrumbs
- 3/4-1 c oats
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and lightly grease a 9 in. loaf pan or line with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
- Saute onion, garlic, and bell pepper until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes on medium heat, remove from heat.
- Mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher until they are broken up but not mushy or pasty. Crumble in the tofu AFTER you have pressed it a few times with a dish rag or paper towels to remove some moisture. Add in cooked veggies, soy sauce, ketchup, liquid smoke, and meatloaf seasoning. Mix well.
- Add in the chickpea liquid, milk, and breadcrumbs, stir to combine, add oats 1/4 c at a time, mixing until the mixture holds together well and can be formed (holds in a ball shape). Transfer to the loaf pan, flatten, and place in the oven for 35 minutes.
- Remove and top with ketchup moving width-wise from top to bottom (refer to picture), and cook another 15 minutes. Remove and let sit at least 10 minutes before slicing so it holds better.
