On February 6, 2019
By Rebecca Field
Favourite vegetarian recipe
I have been promising this recipe to guests for some time now. It is always a popular dish and with accompanying dishes will serve about 6 people easily. It is quite filling and is very acceptable as a vegetarian alternative to a Sunday roast.
- Can be prepared in advance.
- Can be frozen.
- Perfect for any occasion
- Almost good enough to convert dyed-in-the-wool meat eaters
To make a lentil loaf, you do need to be a wee bit more organised than providing an omelette or stir fry for your vegetarian guests, but the advantage is that you won’t be tied to the stove when you’d rather be entertaining your guests.
Ingredients
- 225g red lentils
- 450ml veg stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 15g butter or marg
- 2 tbsp dried wholemeal breadcrumbs
- 225g grated mature Cheddar cheese
- 1 leek finely chopped
- 125g button mushrooms (we tend to use whatever we have to hand – the mushrooms are going to be finely chopped anyway so surely the size is unimportant)
- 90g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs (again we use what we have to hand, usually dried breadcrumbs and it doesn’t seem to make any difference)
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley (1 tbsp dried parsley if you don’t have any fresh)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper
Method
- Put the lentils, stock and bay leaf in a saucepan then bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 – 20 mins, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Discard the bay leaf.
- Line a 1kg/2lb loaf tin, grease it and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
- Stir cheese, leek, mushrooms, breadcrumbs and parsley into the lentils.
- Bind together with lemon juice and eggs, season and spoon into tin. Bake at 190oC for 1 hour until golden.
- Loosen loaf and turn out onto a serving plate.
FREEZES WELL.
Suggested side dishes
- Sweet potato wedges/Potato wedges/Mashed potato
- Red pepper sauce/Homemade fresh tomato sauce
- Stir fry mixed veg (try to choose as many differently coloured veg as possible)/Colourful mixed roast veg
- Tomato salsa
