Vegetable Neatloaf ♯

There are several meatloaf recipes to be found in this collection, but this is not one of them. Instead, it is for what some call a “mock meatloaf;” others designate it as “meat-less loaf.” or “faux meatloaf.” or “veggie loaf.”. My goal here was to produce something that I could share with my family when we wanted to have a meatless meal, something that resembles the real thing to a neat extent, and one that fits my culinary guidelines—reduced sodium, lower G. I., and low fat. It is not strictly for vegans nor those on gluten-free diets; however, obvious substitutions may be made for the few ingredients they may find objectionable.

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp packaged onion soup mix
  • 1 tsp browning and seasoning sauce (e.g., Kitchen Bouquet®)
  • 2 ½ cups TVP
  • 1 cup onions, minced
  • 1 cup X (egg substitute)
  • 1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 cup mushrooms, chopped finely
  • 1 tbsp ground pasilla chile powder
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 1 (8-oz) can chopped green chile
  • 5 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 ½ cups blanched slivered almonds
  • ¼ cup vital gluten flour
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
Creamed Mushrooms
  • 1 (10½-oz) can reduced fat Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1 cup mushrooms, minced
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp Taubasco Sauce†

Put the water in a microwavable bowl, add the soup mix and gravy browner and nuke for 2 minutes. Stir to dissolve the additives. Add the TVP to the hot liquid, stir, and set aside until the liquid has been absorbed, say five minutes.

In a larger mixing bowl, add the textured protein and all other ingredients and fold together until well mixed. Transfer all this into a canola-sprayed loaf pan (glass preferred), put it in the oven, and bake at 350° F for one hour. Remove from oven and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before removing from pan.

While the loaf is baking, make the creamed mushrooms by combining all its ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring this to a simmer and retain the simmer until the mushrooms are done. Keep warm until the loaf is ready.

Serve the neat loaf with the creamed mushrooms on top.

Serve with creamed mushrooms