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Betsylife » Recipes » Vegetarian/Health Food » Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf

Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf

April 21, 2019 By betsy 26 Comments

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There’s no shortage of veggies in this Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf! All the health benefits and fiber from peppers, mushrooms, broccoli and walnuts, paired with classic, comforting meatloaf flavors. Meatless Meatloaf sliced on a rectangular white plate

Wow that weekend went by quickly. I did literally nothing productive, and everything indulgent.

I drank wine, I ate Girl Scout Cookies, I read an entire book, and caught a ton of rays. GREAT weekend overall!

Thus far, I have managed to avoid the illness circulating through my group of friends, (although that means not getting to see anyone or baby Leila for a whole week) and am hoping to keep the streak alive.

Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf

Ingredients for vegetarian meatless meatloaf assembled in varying sized bowls

 
It looks like another busy week is ahead, and I am prepared for the challenge. Fueled by this crazy vegetarian “meatloaf’ I’m pretty sure I can handle anything. The Hubs literally said “this tastes exactly like the other meatloaf you make” There you have it folks, the man of the house likes a faux meatloaf!I think the key to this meatloaf’s “meaty” flavor is not only the mushrooms, but also the roasted peppers. That smoky flavor just give this recipe that rich, savoriness that everyone wants when they are craving meatloaf. 
 
Let’s not forget all the classic meatloaf flavor bombs; ketchup, cheese, toasted breadcrumbs……YUM! 
 
 
Meatless Meatloaf in a loaf pan fresh from the oven A while ago I made salmon burgers and wrote a post about my brother in Dallas who is the world’s pickiest eater. I couldn’t help but think of him again when I was making this loaf.
I would love to see the look on his face if my sister in law said “I’m making a meatloaf out of vegetables for dinner!”  
It’s one of my goals in life to trick my brother into eating something he thinks he hates, that I know he’ll like. I think this vegetarian meatless meatloaf might not be disguised enough.
 

Detail of inside of vegetarian meatless meatloaf

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to see it! Tag me @betsylife on Facebook or Instagram and I’ll share your creations!

Try these other easy vegetarian recipes

  • Vegetarian Kale Taco Salad 
  • Vegetarian Barley Risotto
  • Meatless Lentil “Meat”ball
3.3 from 10 votes
Print

Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf

There’s no shortage of veggies in this Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf! All the health benefits and fiber from peppers, mushrooms, broccoli and walnuts, paired with classic, comforting meatloaf flavors.
Course Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine vegetarian
Keyword meatless meatloaf, vegetarian meatloaf, veggie meatloaf
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
resting time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 347 kcal
Author betsy

Ingredients

Meat loaf:

  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 1 large poblano pepper
  • 2 pounds baby portobello mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup broccoli cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup red onion choppeed
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs toasted
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts toasted
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 ounces fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • Cooking spray

Topping:

  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

  1. Place peppers on the grate directly over the top of the gas flame or in a grill pan over high heat. Let it roast for 20-25 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to give the pepper a quarter turn every 4-5 minutes until charred all over. 

  2. Seal charred peppers in a large ziploc bag for 15 minutes to steam the peels off. When cool enough to handle, remove the stem from each pepper and cut them in quarters. Remove the peels and seeds and dice the peppers. Place in a large bowl. 

  3. Preheat oven to 350°.

  4. Pulse mushrooms in a food processor about 10 times until finely chopped.

  5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 15 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms to peppers. Wipe pan with paper towels. broccoli and onion to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until just tender, stirring occasionally. Add onion mixture to mushroom mixture.

  6. Add breadcrumbs and the next 10 ingredients (through eggs) to mushroom mixture, stirring well.  Spoon mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; press gently to pack.

  7. To prepare topping, combine 2 tablespoons ketchup and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; brush ketchup mixture over meat loaf. 

  8. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°. Allow to rest in the pan for 15 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts
Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 347 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Cholesterol 67mg22%
Sodium 702mg29%
Potassium 861mg25%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 5g20%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A 1115IU22%
Vitamin C 56.3mg68%
Calcium 291mg29%
Iron 2.3mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post was updated in 2109

 

 

 
 
 
 
 


 

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Filed Under: Popular on Pinterest, Recipes, Vegetarian/Health Food

Comments

  1. Paul says

    March 5, 2012 at 8:59 pm

    Looks awesome!

    Is the only thing keeping this from being vegan the 2 eggs?

    Reply
    • betsy says

      March 5, 2012 at 9:04 pm

      and the cheese

      Reply
    • Christine Gloeckner says

      January 18, 2017 at 7:30 am

      use flax eggs for eggs and nutritional yeast for cheese

      Reply
  2. Shannon says

    April 6, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    I’ve made this a couple of times now and this recipe is delicious! A little time consuming but well work it!

    Reply
    • betsy says

      April 6, 2014 at 10:21 pm

      Awesome! Its one of my favorites too

      Reply
  3. Delia says

    April 18, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    What can I use to supplement for eggs?

    Reply
    • betsy says

      April 22, 2016 at 9:14 am

      Maybe a flax “egg”? I’ve never tried to make it without eggs

      Reply
      • Nancye says

        December 5, 2016 at 9:06 pm

        Why use eggs and cheese when there are so many Vegan options out there. Humans do not need animal byproducts to cook with! Betsy our bodies are so much better off without animal derivative products…

        Did you know the Meat Industry, the Egg Industry, and the Dairy Industry are the the most cruelest Industries in the world? Please think about it and choose your foods wisely…

        Flax eggs will do it

        Reply
  4. Christie says

    May 6, 2016 at 10:00 pm

    Very tasty in its own right but i have to say that if it tastes just like your ‘other’ meatloaf then you’re making meatloaf that doesn’t taste of meat.

    Reply
  5. Chef Jen says

    May 22, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    Yum! A tip for something to fool your brother with is mushroom burgundy stew. I made it for a few nhl players that went vegan for their gfs on Valentine’s and they jokingly said they where going to sneak out to grab burgers after. Let’s say no sneaking happened as they passed out in food coma on the couches. It’s so flavorful and the meaty mushrooms makes you think
    You are eating meat 🙂

    Reply
  6. Vicki says

    June 9, 2016 at 12:43 pm

    Holy cow! I made this today and it is absolutely delicious! It’s definitely a lot of prep work, but totally worth it! Thank you so much for the recipe!

    Reply
  7. Haley says

    August 22, 2016 at 2:25 pm

    How many servings does this make?

    Reply
    • Vincent says

      September 8, 2018 at 12:44 am

      “cut into 6 slices”. I think we can safely assume that means 6 servings, however, if you’ve got big eaters in the family(like I do), it will be more like 4 😉

      Reply
      • betsy says

        September 11, 2018 at 4:58 pm

        Fair enough 😉

        Reply
  8. La Dale says

    November 13, 2016 at 2:53 am

    What can I substitute for the nuts?

    Reply
    • betsy says

      November 13, 2016 at 11:49 pm

      I think you can just omit them if you have an allergy

      Reply
  9. LOLIVER says

    February 25, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    I made this dish tonight and the flavor was very good but it doesn’t have the same texture as meatloaf. I may try adding some soy crumbles next time.

    Reply
  10. Danielle says

    March 8, 2017 at 4:34 pm

    Any good substitute for the mushrooms?

    Reply
    • betsy says

      March 8, 2017 at 5:04 pm

      hmmmm that’s tough. They are pretty much the essence of the recipe. I would maybe try lentils or beans? Let me know if this works out!

      Reply
  11. Christy says

    October 1, 2017 at 8:19 pm

    I made this for my family, and we liked it. I sauteed some garlic along with the onion. Next time I’d omit the broccoli or asparagus because I had an issue with that texture. I also added some seasonings as I went along, and needed one extra egg to hold it together. Overall, it was a good meatloaf alternative, but it’s a ton of work so I won’t be making it very often.

    Reply
  12. Monica says

    February 11, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    This was SO GOOD. Thanks for a hearty vegetarian recipe.

    I additionally added a head of broccoli to this recipe just to use it up. In the future the only thing I’d do differently is pre cook the red pepper, asparagus, onion, and mushroom all in one pan, and save like 30 minutes of my time. But it’s pretty easy to throw together and well worth it. I cut mine into 4 pieces and had lunch for the week.

    Reply
  13. Carla says

    February 19, 2018 at 8:22 pm

    I wasn’t a fan at all. Walnuts overpowered the dish making it taste really strong of walnuts. (I didn’t even use a full cup of them either) Followed the rest of the recipe as listed. I may try it again in the future omitting the nuts.

    Reply
  14. Becky says

    September 9, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Can this be frozen?

    Reply
    • betsy says

      September 11, 2018 at 4:57 pm

      I wouldn’t recommend it. With the amount of water content in mushrooms, I would get this would become very mushy if frozen and reheated

      Reply
  15. Vanessa Williams Madinah says

    February 9, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Can you use Eggplant instead of Mushrooms,

    Reply
    • betsy says

      February 11, 2020 at 7:44 pm

      I’m not sure. I think it might be too watery to hold together, but perhaps if you salt the eggplant well before cooking to draw out some of the moisture, drain well after cooking and add additional breadcrumbs it might work

      Reply
3.30 from 10 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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