Makes 6 to 8 portions
This may have more steps than your typical meatloaf, but it's worth it! Plus, you can cook the entire vegetable portion of this recipe a few days ahead of time (or weeks--freeze it!). We tried baking the meatloaf in a traditional loaf pan, but we got a quicker cooking time and better texture in the square baking dish (more surface area means quicker evaporation of moisture from those extra veggies).
Ingredients
- 1 lb button mushrooms, cleaned
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided use
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 bell pepper, any color, cored and roughly chopped
- 4 medium carrots (about 10 oz), roughly chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup dry breadcrumbs (gluten-free, if needed)
Directions
- Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until they are finely chopped, but do not form a paste. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 tsp of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid and appear dry, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, to prevent sticking.
- Meanwhile, combine the garlic, pepper, carrots, and onion in the food processor (no need to clean it between uses) and pulse until the mixture is about the same size as the mushrooms.
- Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a large mixing bowl and set aside. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the pan and add the chopped vegetable mixture. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt and cook until the vegetables are fully cooked and the pan is nearly dry, about 15 minutes. Don’t rush the process, because too much moisture will prevent the meatloaf from setting up later.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook until it darkens in color, about 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and cook to reduce slightly, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms and let cool for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the turkey and breadcrumbs to the mushroom mixture, and mix until well-combined. Transfer to an 8- by 8-inch square baking dish and bake until the meatloaf is browned and pulling away from the pans around the edges, about 50 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
plant-forward // healthy // vegetables // meat loaf // meatloaf // make ahead // family // weeknight // plant forward // flexitarian // protein flip
You don’t need eggs?
What keeps the meatloaf from falling apart?
No eggs needed! The breadcrumbs help bulk up the mixture. But we also bake it in a shallow pan, which helps to evaporate moisture and keep it together. The finished product is a bit softer than your average meatloaf, but is still sliceable and quite tasty, if I do say so myself!