Country ‘Meatloaf’ With Golden Gravy Recipe (2024)

Recipe from "Chloe's Kitchen"

Adapted by Tara Parker-Pope

Country ‘Meatloaf’ With Golden Gravy Recipe (1)

Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Rating
4(342)
Notes
Read community notes

Chloe Coscarelli, a vegan chef, offers this hearty vegetarian dish packed with protein. —Tara Parker-Pope

Featured in: Hearty Holiday Main Courses for Vegans

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    Country ‘meatloaf’

    • 3tablespoons olive oil
    • 1large onion, diced
    • 2large carrots, diced
    • 2cups diced celery
    • 8cloves garlic, minced
    • 2teaspoons dried thyme
    • 2teaspoons dried basil
    • 2teaspoons dried parsley
    • 2(8-ounce) packages tempeh
    • ½cup soy sauce
    • ½cup vegetable broth
    • 1cup cooked brown rice, warm
    • ½cup bread crumbs
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Golden Gravy

    • 2tablespoons canola oil
    • 1large onion, roughly chopped
    • ¼cup nutritional yeast flakes
    • ½cup flour
    • 2cups water
    • 3tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1teaspoon garlic powder
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

340 calories; 16 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 1303 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Country ‘Meatloaf’ With Golden Gravy Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. For the Country ‘meatloaf’

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.

    2. Step

      2

      Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large deep-sided skillet and sauté onion, carrots and celery until soft, about 15 minutes. If vegetables begin to stick, add a little bit of water to the skillet. Stir in garlic, thyme, basil and parsley. Let cook a few more minutes. Crumble the tempeh into the skillet and add soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

    3. Step

      3

      Add warm brown rice and bread crumbs to the bowl and mix thoroughly with a large spoon. The more you mix it and mash it, the better it will hold together when you bake it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    4. Step

      4

      Transfer the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and pack it down very firmly using the back of a spoon. Cover the top of the loaf pan with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, covered, then remove foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before unmolding. Run a knife around the edges of the cooked loaf to loosen, then flip onto a serving plate to unmold. Slice and serve.

    5. Step

      5

      Chef’s note: Recipe can be halved to serve 3 to 4 people. If halving, bake in an 8-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pan for 30 minutes covered, then 15 more minutes uncovered.

  2. Golden Gravy

    1. Step

      6

      In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onion until soft. Add nutritional yeast and flour, and stir for about 1 minute. Add water, soy sauce, thyme and garlic powder. Continue to cook, whisking continuously, until mixture is very thick. Transfer gravy to a blender and purée until smooth. Adjust seasonings, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Ratings

4

out of 5

342

user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Anne

I agree. Here is one of my favs http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/05/glazed-lentil-walnut-apple-loaf-revisited/ Her blog contains a wonderful collection of vegan recipes, include a great no-meat loaf. I have made it many times.
or another http://pureella.com/wild-rice-no-meat-loaf-vegan-gluten-free-with-naosap... also made many, many times.

Terri

The gravy is a little bland for me too as is - but tastes incedible when you add some nutritional yeast, and to kick it up another notch, dried porcini mushrooms and a little wine.

Dawn

Can this be made ahead a day or two ahead of time? If so, what would be the best way to re-heat it? Or would it better to let it rest overnight before baking it?

Kelly Knight

Made this last night and vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike loved it. I had no problem getting the loaf to hold together, but I mashed the heck out of it. I think that's the key. I used half the soy sauce called for, and increased the amount of broth. This recipe makes a lot of gravy - we had 7 people for dinner and a lot left over.

Lonna

I always use Tamari soy sauce in my cooking. It is less salty and less overpowering. This dish was very tasty, and it held together well.

Anne Saplin

I'm constantly searching for the ideal meat-free meatloaf and this is not it. I may try it once more, with much less soy sauce and less thyme (the loaf made my house smelled like a 70s health food store!) but with low expectations for a result better than mushroom-rice-walnut loaves. This is a 5 on a 1-10 scale. PS I did not make the gravy.

KathyF

While this is not my favorite vegan meatloaf recipe (that honor goes to Mike Milken's) it was a nice way to serve tempeh. I used less soy sauce than called for, and served it with mashed potatoes.

Isabel

Just made this, and will definitely make again. It didn’t hold together for me, so I think next time I will mash it for a little longer, and reduce some of the liquid. I used low sodium tamari, and had no problem with it being too salty. Taste was spot on. It had a meatiness to it, and reminded me a bit of sausage stuffing. The gravy was excellent too, and I didn’t bother blending it, because I liked the bits of onion in there. Leftovers for the week now!

Ellen

I made the half recipe, which was quite good, although it didn't hold together, but came out more like stuffing consistency. I used a bit less soy sauce (low sodium) and a bit more veg broth to make up for the soy sauce. I omitted the dried parsley, cz I didn't have any, and don't really like it. I know it wouldn't be vegan, but an egg might help hold it together. The gravy was surprisingly good, too. I didn't bother to purée it. Served it with (non-vegan) mashed potatoes and salad.

Joan

Delicious! I used a potato masher before putting it in the baking dish and consistency was perfect. I used an 8”x8” baking pan.

sean

Did not like this

Greg

I used Trader Joe’s “No Beef Ground Beef” instead of temper. It was great. Held together pretty well. Yes, less soy sauce.

MB

Got any non-gluten hacks?

Christine

This is too salty and basically tastes like breads crumbs. I would definitely not make this again.

Anja

Not my favorite veggie loaf but pretty good. I agree there was too much thyme and soy sauce.

Susan

I cooked this as “deconstructed” meatloaf in a skillet without the breadcrumbs or rice and made the gravy as suggested. Delicious! Note that the fat to dry ingredient ratio seemed pretty dry for making a roux for the gravy. I let it brown for a bit anyway and then added the liquid elements. The gravy definitely benefits from the processor, and the end product was a joy to eat.

Joyce

This recipe dates back quite sometime, in other words pre-Chloe to my mind. Having said that, this is a wonderful recipe. My edits over many years of it being our holiday main dish are: Only use 1.5 packages of tempeh, add mushrooms to the onion/celery/garlic/carrot saute. Add nutritional yeast to the body of the meatloaf, since you already have it for the sauce. It adds to the umami - this is a very delicious dish!

sam

Delicious flavor. I’d say it’s still a tiny bit to wet for me. Next time I’m going to press more water out of the tofu and add more bread crumbs. Either way I give it a 5/5 even with that small tweak.

mgh

Used bacon grease throughout, added fish sauce, Aleppo pepper, had sweet potatoes instead of carrots. Thought the sauce ingredients ratio was off base: increased the fat to match flour and cooked it for about five minutes, like a roux; used bone/bean broth and added extra water, sautéed mushrooms, skipped the puree. Yum!

Nick

This was incredibly comforting. Not the most interesting flavor profile, a bit heavy and bland, definitively 70s vegetarian retro, but...that’s kind of what I want when I think of vegan meatloaf. As others have mentioned: definitely make the gravy. Mash this a lot. I had to cook it for an extra twenty minute and it let sit for a while to firm up. I served this cauliflower mash and it made for a very cozy meal. Lots of leftovers.

Christa

Steaming the tempeh for about 15 minutes beforehand will get rid of that bitterness

KP

Definitely make the gravy. When I made it, I subbed the onion for a teaspoon of onion powder so I didn't have to do the blender step. It turned out great.

Isabel

Just made this, and will definitely make again. It didn’t hold together for me, so I think next time I will mash it for a little longer, and reduce some of the liquid. I used low sodium tamari, and had no problem with it being too salty. Taste was spot on. It had a meatiness to it, and reminded me a bit of sausage stuffing. The gravy was excellent too, and I didn’t bother blending it, because I liked the bits of onion in there. Leftovers for the week now!

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Country ‘Meatloaf’ With Golden Gravy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why not over mix meatloaf? ›

Properly mixing a meatloaf prior to forming not only assures an evenness of flavor, but it also facilitates the linking of myosin in the meat, creating more of the protein network that will help to hold the slices together. However, overmixing can cause meatloaf to become springy, rubbery, and too dense.

Where did the recipe for meatloaf come from? ›

American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since colonial times. Meatloaf in the contemporary American sense did not appear in cookbooks until the late 19th century.

What ingredient keeps meatloaf from falling apart? ›

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

Why do people put ketchup on meatloaf? ›

Whether you slather a thick layer of ketchup on top of the meatloaf before it goes into the oven, add a few tablespoons to the ground meat mixture, or serve extra ketchup on the side, this tangy-sweet, umami-rich condiment balances out the richness of the beef, making it an essential part of the dish.

Why don t you want to cook the meatloaf in the loaf pan? ›

Sheet pans have more surface area which exposes more of the dish's surface area to the oven's direct heat to create a crunchier crust that's nicely browned. Loaf pans corral the juices and fat to create a moister, more steamed, texture.

Why is meatloaf pink? ›

The reason your meatloaf may still be pink in the middle when fully cooked is nitrates. Nitrates are natural chemicals that bind proteins in the meat to prevent them from releasing oxygen molecules during cooking.

What happens if you overwork meatloaf? ›

Do Not Over Mix or Compress the Meat. Mixing your ingredients too much is a very common mistake that can really make for meatloaf with a tough, dry texture.

Is it OK to premix meatloaf? ›

One dish that often comes to mind because of its simplicity is meatloaf. But can meatloaf be made ahead of time without sacrificing its flavor and texture? Yes! Not only can you make meatloaf ahead of time, there are even some advantages to doing so.

Why did my meatloaf turn out mushy? ›

But what causes this to happen in the first place? The most common reason meatloaf is mushy is too much liquid added to the mixture.

What do you do if your meatloaf mixture is too wet? ›

One of the most common reasons meatloaf is watery is an overabundance of liquid ingredients. Adding broth, milk, or eggs can enhance flavor and moisture, but too much can lead to a soupy consistency. Use these ingredients sparingly, and consider adding breadcrumbs or oats to absorb excess moisture.

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