Mushroom Lentil Loaf with Cranberries (2024)

This Mushroom Lentil Loaf with Cranberries will make a wonderful addition to your Christmas or Thanksgiving meal, and family dinners. Because of the cranberry topping, you don't need to serve cranberry sauce on the side so there's one less thing to make and remember to put on the table.

My favorite accompaniments include:

Leftovers are really delicious thinly sliced in sandwiches, or with chutneys, pickles, crusty bread etc.

Can this lentil loaf be frozen?

I have not tried freezing it but I think because of the large amount of mushrooms it would freeze better after baking. Then defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

What can I use instead of mushrooms?

For best results I recommend following the recipe as written. I have not tested this recipe with anything other than mushrooms.

How do I cook lentils?

Don't soak the lentils prior to cooking. Rinse them in a sieve with fresh water to remove any dust or debris. Lentils will approximately double in volume once cooked so you will need about ½ a cup of dried red lentils and ½ a cup of dried green lentils. Cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat to low and simmer until they are tender.
For green lentils, cook time is usually about 15-20 minutes. For split red lentils, cook time is typically only about 5 minutes. Spoon a couple out and taste them to check done-ness periodically and as soon as they are ready, drain and leave to cool before using in the recipe.They can be cooked ahead and stored drained in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• ▢ 1 small onion , chopped finely
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢ 1 cup (198 grams) cooked red lentils , measured after cooking
• ▢ 1 cup (198 grams) cooked green lentils , measured after cooking
• ▢ 3 cups (226 grams) finely chopped mushrooms
• ▢ ½ cup (62 grams) chopped walnuts
• ▢ ½ cup (8 tablespoons) ground flax seed , it must be ground not whole
• ▢ ½ cup (62 grams) flour , all purpose (plain flour in the UK), oat, rice, spelt or wholewheat
• ▢ 1 very packed cup (75 grams) breadcrumbs (gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ ½ cup (70 grams) dried cranberries
• ▢ ½ large apple , grated (no need to peel)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried sage
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce , or Tamari, or coconut aminos

For the cranberry topping

• ▢ 2 cups (200 grams fresh or frozen cranberries
• ▢ 4 tablespoons white or cane sugar , not brown sugar or coconut sugar

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  Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 1lb or similar loaf pan (about 8.5 inch x 4.5 inch or 9inch x 5inch) and line it with a strip of baking parchment going along the middle.

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  Add all of the ingredients (except the fresh/frozen cranberries and sugar) to a very large bowl and mix until really well combined. I like to use clean hands to scrunch it all together and mix it.Set aside.

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  Put the cranberries and the sugar in a small pan over a medium heat and just cook until the sugar is mostly dissolved and some juice is appearing in the bottom of the pan. It only takes 5 - 6 minutes. Then remove from the heat.

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  Spoon the sugary cranberries into the loaf pan. You don't have to wait for them to cool down but be careful as the sugary liquid will be very hot. Even them out with a spoon.

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  Pack the lentil loaf mixture on the top of the cranberries. Really push it down all over and make sure it is even on the top.It will seem like lots of mixture but it will fit well once you compact it.

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  Place the loaf pan on a baking tray (just in case the cranberry liquid spills over) and bake for 1 hour to 1 hr 10 minutes. It should be golden and crusty looking on the top and coming away from the edges. There will probably be a little jammy red liquid oozing over the edge too.

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  Leave to rest in the pan for 15-30 minutes (it will stay warm for up to an hour if you wrap it in some foil) before turning out and slicing.To turn it out, put a plate or board on top of it then flip it over so the plate/board ends up on the bottom. It will slide out really easily but if you do have any trouble you can give a little tug on the parchment paper to ease it out. Once it's out, gently peel back the parchment paper to reveal the pretty cranberry top.

Nutritional Info Hide

NUTRITION

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 370mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3.4mg