I made this meatloaf last week. I had never made or eaten meatloaf before. My family loved it. Even Matthew, our fussy eater, exclaimed that he loved it, even though he had never had it before!

I don’t like eating meat every night. I like to have several vegetarian meals each week (I aim for 3) and I’ve been adding some new vege meals to my ‘repertoire’ this year. With the meatloaf being such a success, I decided to make a vegetarian meatloaf – a ‘notmeatloaf!’ It turned out beautifully:

With the help of an eager three year old and some handy machines, this was actually just as easy as the meatloaf to make. But, in my opinion, it tasted better!

ingredients
(Makes 2 small loaves)
3 slices of bread (might want to remove crusts)
1/3 cup milk
1 can lentils
1 can chickpeas
1 can butter beans (you could also prepare dry beans by soaking and cooking beforehand)
4 eggs
2 carrots (grated)
1 medium onion (grated)
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1 cup plain flour
Mixed herbs, salt and pepper to taste

sauce
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
– Mix all ingredients in a jug

method
– In a food processor, make breadcrumbs using sliced bread. Add milk and place into mixing bowl.
– Strain tins of beans and add to food processor. Process until combined and kind of mushy. Place mixture into mixing bowl.
– Add all other ingredients and mix on medium (if using machine) until all ingredients are combined.
– Line 2 loaf tins with baking paper or foil. Press mixture in (it’s quite wet)
– Gently pour the sauce over the mixture
– Bake for an hour in a moderate oven – until sauce is slightly caramelised.
– Serve with potatoes :)