| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound Japanese eggplants (about 3)
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 pound firm tofu
- 8 ounces shiitake or button mushrooms, stemmed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup wheat germ
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 large egg, plus 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ounces shitake, cremini, or button mushrooms
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Marsala or sherry
- 1 cup vegetable broth, homemade or low sodium canned
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 teaspoon leaves
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- For the loaf: Over a gas burner or under an electric broiler, char the eggplants until the skin is black, turning as needed to cook all sides evenly. Wrap in foil and set aside to steam for 20 minutes. Remove from the foil and gently brush the skin off or rinse under warm water.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Pulse the eggplant, tofu, and mushrooms into small pieces. Add mixture to the walnuts along with the remaining loaf ingredients. Mix together until evenly combined. Transfer the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart loaf pan or casserole dish and bake for 1 hour.
- For the gravy: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the flour over the mushrooms and stir until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the marsala and broth and bring to a boil, cooking until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper.
- Unmold the meatless loaf, slice, and serve with the mushroom gravy.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 389 calorie |
| Total Fat | 20.5 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 6 grams |
| Cholesterol | 55 milligrams |
| Sodium | 1024 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 33 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 grams |
| Protein | 20 grams |
| Sugar | 8 grams |
Reviews
I was very dubious as I mixed it up. It looked awful, but did turn out to taste ok. However it was a lot of work. I don’t think I’ll repeat this recipe.
First, I am a card carrying carnivore. Second, my sister-in-law came for a week’s visit so a few adjustments needed to be made! After days of pasta I and my hubby were craving meat. This recipe seemed like it could almost satisfy that and, had a nice sauce. With a few embellishments, starting with a mirepoix (diced carrots, celery & onion) softened in a butter and oil skillet over medium heat. A few more spices like Hungarian Paprika, Garam Masala, Ground Coriander and Ground Cinnamon, and substituting the wheat germ with cooked Quinoa. NOTE: Allow the loaf un molded to sit for 10-mins before slicing. Suggest doubling the mushroom gravy recipe so there’s plenty to share. I served with Braised Green Beans and Potato Mash of Golds and Turnips. This meal had lots of flavor and very filling.
While the gravy was delicious, I found the loaf itself to be more oat-y than flavorful. Maybe adding in some additional spices and some other veggies would have improve it. Unfortunately, for the time spent it wasn’t worth it.
I loved the mix of flavors. It’s definitely a labor intensive recipe but I would make it again. I used cooked quinoa instead of wheat germ as I try to stay away from gluten. IT was very moist as a result, but it was quite tasty. Mushroom gravy was fantastic.
Love this recipe! I’ve made it twice and even meat lovers enjoy it and asked for more.
Meatless anything is not my thing so I will not comment on that but the Mushroom gravy was fabulous. The thyme & Marsala just brought it all together. Would be great on chicken. I used it on a Meatloaf that was not tomato based so it was perfect.
My suggestions: (1) try using a basic tomato sauce instead of mushroom gravy, (2) try using grilled eggplant instead of baked, (3) double the amount of salt, (4) try using a spice blend (I used a Moroccan mix), and (5) use instant oatmeal as opposed to the traditional type. This is a genuinely good recipe!!! The texture is remarkably close to real meatloaf, it cuts well, and holds its loaf shape. Thanks foodnetwork!!!
I live in the UAE and wheat germ is an item that will have to be hunted down in the four corners of my emirate. Can I substitute bread crumbs or something else along those lines?
I was entertaining for Christmas dinner and needed to create something vegetarian for a couple of guests. Although the ingredients look appealing the end product left little to be desired. Basically goop in a loaf pan. I cooked this stuff for another hour just to see if it would firm up and no luck! It was flavorful, but I would only serve this to a toothless octogenarian. Spare yourselves the embarassment. Fortunately we had some steamed vegetables and a salad for the meat eaters. At least the vegetarians got something to eat. As my 11 year old said, “It’s just goop!”
I made this dish last year for Thanksgiving. I am a vegetarian and I was looking for an alternative main entree for Thanksgiving. 75% of the guest loved my meatless meatloaf more then the Turkey! It was hearty, moist, and delicious! This year its a must on our Thanksgiving day table!