Did you grow up enjoying meatloaf as a family tradition? There are some foods that just feel comfortable and meatloaf is one of them. And, when it’s served with a veggie and mashed potatoes, it completes the picture – and the feelings of comfort.
Not only that, but I love BBQ and Vegan BBQ Meatloaf sauce if amazing! A lot of recipes use lentils, but to save time, this uses canned black beans. You can always use 1 1/2 cup fresh is you have them.
I think you’ll enjoy this slightly spicy version of meatloaf. I’ve tried many meatloaf versions (and veggie burgers) that just don’t cut it. They either fall apart or the flavor is bland, but this version won’t be disappointing.
Although the addition of olives seems strange, it’s a great way to add flavor, yet you can’t really taste the olives in the finished product. The sun-dried tomatoes and wine also add a “beefy” note.
You won’t want to miss these plant-based side dishes:
- Mashed Poatoes with Easy Gravy
- Mashed Cauliflower with Gravy
- Cauliflower Sweet potato Mash
- Scalloped Potato-Cabbage Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole
- Vegan Creamed Spinach
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
I love to serve this with mashed potatoes and be sure to include the skins if they’re organic. That’s where most of the nutrition lies. Top with mushroom gravy (you can leave out the mushrooms if you want). I’ve served it with Brussels sprouts sweetened with a few raisins.
You could also make this recipe into burgers! I hope it meets your expectations.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Vegan BBQ Meatloaf! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
Vegan BBQ Meatloaf
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 1/3 yellow onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 (15 oz.) can low-sodium black beans rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups homemade )
- 1/2 block tempeh original soy, sliced
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 3 Tbl ground flaxseeds
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (soaked in warm water to soften)
- 1/3 cup seeded Kalamata olives cut in half
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce divided (use store-bought or recipe below)
- 2 Tbl red wine (optional)
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
BBQ Sauce (or use your favorite store-bought)
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbl garlic powder
- 1 Tbl yellow mustard
- 1 Tbl maple syrup
- 2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbl unsulphured regular molasses
- 2 Tbl sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. This is pretty hot so use accordingly.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5" loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or use parchment paper.
BBQ Sauce
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until combined. Can be made ahead of time.
Meatloaf
- Saute onion, carrots, and garlic in 1/4 cup water until water has evaporated and the veggies are mostly tender.
- Add 1/2 of the black beans, the tempeh, and cooked onion mixture to bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times.
- Add the cornmeal, flaxseed, softened sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, salt, and pepper. Pulse the processor, scraping the sides to make sure all is mixed. Don't over-process.
- Mash the rest of the black beans slightly with a fork and add them to the processor bowl. Pulse to just combine, leaving some bigger pieces of the beans.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and spread to all corners with a spatula, flattening the top.
- Let sit for about 20 minutes to let the cornmeal absorb some of the moisture.
- Spread 1/4 cup BBQ sauce on top.
- Bake 60 minutes or until firm. Check the top as it cooks to make sure it's not burning. Add foil if it's getting too brown.
- Let sit for 30 minutes so that it firms up.
You might want to check your claim that most of the nutrients in potatoes are in the skins. It looks to me like it’s an urban legend. (I used to live in Germany where they believe potato skins are poisonous.) But maybe you know something I don’t…
I appreciate your thoughts on potatoes. While potatoes that have some green color on them from exposure to light do contain a small amount of toxin it’s unlikely that you would ingest enough to cause any problems. That said, I do seek out potatoes that don’t have any green on them. As for the nutrition, you’re right that the flesh of potatoes also contains nutrition. It would be more accurate to say to include the skins because they contain half of the nutrition, not most of it 🙂
Made the Vegan BBQ Meatloaf and liked it. It was a bit spicy which was good. What makes it spicy? Next time I’ll add mushrooms.
So glad you liked it, Mercedes! The chipotle peppers in the BBQ sauce are spicy if you used those. Or, maybe the BBQ sauce you did you were spicy. Using mushrooms is a great idea.