This sagey mushroom loaf is savory, hearty, and so delicious! It’s a comforting vegetarian entree, perfect for fall gatherings or the holiday table. Serve it up with our mushroom gravy and garlic mashed potatoes! Video.
“Enough” is a feast.
Buddhist Proverb
With more and more people turning to plant-based meals, I thought I’d share a recipe for a delicious vegetarian main dish for your holiday table this year. This mushroom loaf is hearty, filling and full of earthy, umami flavor. Make sure to serve with your favorite gravy- or try it with our mushroom gravy, which is especially good here- double the mushrooms!
This mushroom loaf recipe is one I developed during my catering business days- and it always got rave reviews. I really liked this one, too, because I could make it ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days before serving, allowing me more time on the day of the event.
Mushroom Loaf Ingredients
- Mushrooms: Cremini, portobello, button, shiitake, or a mix!
- Walnuts: Use toasted nuts for even richer flavor! You can always sub pecans or other nuts.
- Onion, celery, carrots, and garlic cloves: For savory, aromatic depth in the loaf.
- Fresh sage leaves: Or sub thyme, for herby, earthy flavor.
- Miso paste: Enhances the rich, umami flavor of the mushrooms.
- Whole-grain mustard: For a tangy, sharp bite that really elevates the flavor.
- Large eggs: To bind the loaf together and create a moist texture.
- Oats: For rustic texture and heartiness. Or you could also use cooked rice or even fresh bread crumbs.
- Optional additions: If you’d like you can add cottage cheese and a grated cheese like cheddar, jack, or mozzarella.
How to Make A Mushroom Loaf
Preheat oven to 375F.
Step one: Toast walnuts in an extra-large skillet over medium-low heat until golden and fragrant. Remove the walnuts from the skillet and set aside. (Alternatively, you can toast the walnuts on a baking sheet at 350F for 15-16 minutes.)
Step two: In the same extra large skillet, warm oil over medium heat. Sauté onion 2-3 minutes, then add the celery and carrots, sautéing 5-6 minutes until softened. Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, black pepper, and sage, sautéing until mushrooms release all of their liquid, about 10-15 minutes. If the vegetables look dry, deglaze the pan with a splash of wine or vegetable broth and cook it off.
Tip: Cover the skillet with a lid for a few minutes to help the mushrooms release their liquid.
Step three: Once the mushrooms are no longer liquidy, make a well in the middle of the pan and add the miso paste. Stir it in, and cook until the mixture begins to stick to the pan and looks dry. Turn off the heat.
Step four: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Oil any exposed areas, like the narrow ends.
Step five: Add walnuts to a food processor and pulse until the size of lentils or smaller. Transfer to a large bowl, then scoop the mushroom mixture into the food processor. Pulse, making sure to maintain a little texture. Add to the bowl with the walnuts.
To the bowl, add mustard, eggs, and rolled oats. Stir. If adding cheese, mix it in now.
Step six: Pour the mixture into the parchment-lined loaf pan and place on the middle rack to bake 35-45 minutes. The mushroom loaf will be done when it is puffed and golden.
The internal temp should be 165F or more. Check after 30 minutes, rotating the pan if needed.
See the very slight dome? This is how you can tell the eggs are cooked all the way through to the middle. It’s subtle but telling.
Note: If you added cottage cheese, you may need to increase baking time by 10-15 minutes.
Step seven: While the loaf bakes, prepare our Mushroom Gravy, or use your favorite!
Step eight: When the loaf is done, remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes before flipping onto a platter. Loosen the edges with a knife.
Tip: If waiting to serve, you can simply keep the loaf warm in the pan by wrapping it in foil.
Step nine: Ladle warm gravy over the loaf and sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top. Garnish with fresh sage and serve with mashed potatoes.
Chef’s Tips
- Try adding cheese! Adding cottage cheese and/or grated cheese adds a nice richness that also helps bind everything together even more.
- Bake with a ketchup glaze or BBQ sauce. Instead of serving with gravy, mix 1/2 cup ketchup or BBQ sauce with 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Spread a little in the bottom of the loaf pan and the remaining over top.
Storing Mushroom Loaf
Cover the loaf pan tightly and store for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, or transfer to an airtight container. Leftovers make for a tasty vegetarian “meatloaf” sandwich! Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating. Reh
Serving Suggestions
Serve with Mushroom Gravy (or your favorite gravy recipe), Mashed Potatoes, and pomegranate seeds. Not only do the pomegranate seeds make this pop visually – they really add a bright lovely flavor and texture to the finished dish. You can of course serve the gravy and seeds on the side as well.
This Mushroom Loaf would go well with any of our 55 Veggie-Forward Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
FAQs
I haven’t tried but I suspect you could substitute flax eggs for the eggs and leave out the cheese.
Yes! This recipe called for gluten-free oats and simple, whole foods ingredients.
Yes, the roast reheats wonderfully at 350F.
Wherever this finds you this year, I wish you a very love-filled Thanksgiving.
Cheers friends.
More meatless mains you may like
Mushroom Loaf | 60-Sec Video
Mushroom Loaf Recipe
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: vegetarian main
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This sagey mushroom loaf is savory, hearty, and so delicious! It’s a delicious vegetarian entree, perfect for a fall gathering or the holiday table! Serve it up with our mushroom gravy and garlic mashed potatoes!
Ingredients
Mushroom Loaf
- 2 cups walnuts, toasted (or sub pecans or ther nuts!)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- one large onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1 1/2 cup carrots, very thinly sliced half-moons (no need to peel)
- 1 lb mushrooms- cremini, portobello, button, shiitake or a mix, (5-6 cups sliced )
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped (or sub thyme)
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups oats
- optional: 3/4 cup cottage cheese
- optional: 3/4 cup grated cheese- cheddar, jack, mozzarella
Serve with: Mushroom Gravy (or use your favorite gravy recipe), mashed potatoes, and garnish with 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375F
- WALNUTS: Toast in an extra-large skillet on the stove, over medium-low heat until golden a fragrant, set aside. ( You can also toast on a sheet pan in a 350F oven for 15-16 mins.)
- MUSHROOM FILLING: In an extra-large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Saute the onion 2-3 minutes, add celery and carrots, and saute 5-6 more minutes until they begin to soften. Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper, and sage. Saute until mushrooms release all their liquid, 10-15 minutes, covering with a lid for a few minutes to get this going. Remove lid, continue cooking off all the liquid. Feel free to deglaze with a splash of wine (or skip it) cooking it all off. Cook until the mushrooms are no longer liquidy– make a well in the middle and add the miso paste, stirring it in. You’ll know you are close when they begin sticking to the pan. You really want these dry as possible. Turn off the heat.
- Prepare your loaf pan, lining with parchment and oiling the narrow ends.
- Mix filling: In a food processor, pulse the walnuts into lentil size and smaller. Place in a large bowl. Pulse the mushroom mixture- leaving a little texture here too. Place in the bowl. Add the mustard, eggs, and oats. Give a good stir.
- BAKE: Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and place on the middle rack of the 375 F oven until puffed and golden, 35-45 minutes. Check at 30 minutes, rotating the loaf pan if need be. (Adding the cottage cheese may increase baking time by 10-15 minutes.) The loaf is done when slightly puffed and internal temp reaches 165F.
- GRAVY: While it is baking make the gravy- this Mushroom gravy is nice or use your favorite!
- You will know the loaf is done when it puffs up slightly in the middle- indicating the eggs are cooked all the way through. Let it rest five minutes before flipping onto a platter, loosening the 2 edges with a knife (or keep it warm in the loaf pan with foil- until serving).
- Ladle the warm gravy over top and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Garnish with fresh sage leaves on the platter.
- Serve with mashed potatoes.
Notes
The cheese adds a nice richness here and does help to keep it from crumbling.
KETCHUP GLAZE: You can bake this like meatloaf with a ketchup glaze or BBQ Sauce instead of serving with gravy: Mix 1/2 cup ketchup or BBQ sauce (or a combination) with 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Spread a little in the bottom of the loaf pan, and remaining over the top.
Leftovers make for a tasty vegetarian “meatloaf” sandwich!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of a loaf (with cheese/cottage cheese)
- Calories: 403
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 656.4 mg
- Fat: 28.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 5.6 g
- Protein: 15.8 g
- Cholesterol: 80.6 mg
Hi there! I am eager to try this recipe. Just wondering when to add the cheese to the mix? I’m assuming when you’re mixing the veggies with the nuts? Do you need to add both options of cottage cheese or cheese? Or will one of the options work?
Thank you!
New Cook here
You can use either just cottage cheese or another cheese. Exactly, add into the veggies with the nuts.
Is it possible to use flax seed eggs in this to make it vegan?
Some have made it with flax eggs with success (check the comments!). It will not puff up as when using eggs.
For the oats, any specific kind: old-fashioned, quick cook? I’m eager to try this for Thanksgiving!
Either work! Also there are a lot of helpful comments of what others have used under the recipe card. 🙂
Can chia seeds be substituted for the eggs? I’m off dairy.
We have tried flax seeds. It works, still great flavor, though the loaf is a bit dense.
Hello, I’m planning to make this and the gravy! Can you please tell me what the serving slice is…8 oz, 1 inch thick slice, etc? The recipe says serving size; with cottage cheese but, no actual size. 😉 Thanks!
Hi Michelle- I see what you mean! Ok- it is the loaf divided by 8. I used a 9 x 5 loaf pan, so roughly an inch thick? This is a fairly small portion. 🙂
Outstanding recipe, I cannot praise it enough. I reduced walnuts to 1 cup and used shiitake mushrooms.
Glad it worked out for you!
Great!
I’ve made this twice and everyone liked it! Do you think these could be made in a mini-muffin tray as individual bites??
Great to hear! That is a good question, and I am not sure! It seems like it would work, but haven’t tried!
Tasty dish!
Made this with your Instant Pot mashed potatoes and your delicious mushroom gravy. Hubbie and I both liked it. But, the surprise came the next day when we made “meatloaf” sandwiches. Fantastic!! Thank you for all your great recipes!
Leah, I love that you made meatloaf sandwiches with the leftovers! So fun. Thanks for circling back and rating, always appreciated!
Made this as a vegetarian option for a meatloaf dinner for a crowd. Worked well, particularly with mushroom gravy. I will make it again but would consider using a different grain than oats next time (maybe rice or bread crumb?). The oaty taste distracted from the yummy mushroom/sage flavors. I will also try the optional cheese!
Hi Nancy! Both brown rice and bread curmbs would work here! Give either ( or both) a go!
So in place of oatmeal, I could use rice and use the same amount of cooked rice as the oatmeal?
Hi Lynn, I think that would work fine! In full disclosure, I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t? If you try it would you let me know how it turns out? 🙂
Can this be made the night before and baked the next day?
Yes, that should be fine!
Deeeeeelicios, again! We had this last year at Thanksgiving as well, thank you so much for your recipes!
So happy you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for circling back and leaving a review, very appreciated!
I also want make ahead and freeze is the following the correct way to do this?: cook completely, remove from loaf pan (or leave it in?), let cool, freeze – when ready to reheat, thaw in fridge overnight, take out an hour before reheat at 350. If yes, back in loaf pan or no? Most importantly, how long do I reheat?
Hi Sydney, I haven’t tried freezing this yet, so I don’t want to lead you astray! But if I were going to do it, yes, as you suggested, I’d remove from pan, freeze, thaw overnight, warm to room temp, reheat in the pan at 350F until internal temp reaches at least 145F-150F.
This recipe made with the mushroom gravy was so delicious & full of flavour. Although it seemed to take me longer than 45 minutes of prep time. Cooking out the mushrooms until there was no more liquid was very lengthy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this, and sorry about the lengthy prep.
Hi Sylvia, I saw the tofu recommendation for a replacement for the eggs. What would be your guess as to how much tofu you would add to fluff up the loaf? I plan to add cheddar cheese to the loaf too. Thank you! Christina
I would use at least ½ cup of firm tofu, that has been pureed in a food processer, or even a little more (1 cup)- but if using more than a half cup, adjust salt, and add more to taste.
Thank you and I am looking forward to trying this!! I love your recipes.
Thanks so much, let us know what you think!
I have made this before and it was delicious. Both vegetarian and carnivores loved it.
I am planning on making it again for Thanksgiving and want to know if this can be frozen several weeks prior. Thank you.
It should freeze just fine! That is a great idea to cut back on holiday prep.
Was this ever delicious! Amazing how such simple ingredients can produce such complex flavors. I added some hot sauce to the mix and used sharp cheddar. The loaf didn’t really puff up, but browned beautifully. Served with fresh (raw) cranberry relish and scalloped potatoes.
Sounds lovely Herta!
Just made this and it was soooo good! Great veggie comfort food for fall season. I was worried the oats would make it a little bready but the texture was great. I used half oyster mushrooms and half chicken of the woods. Definitely will make again. Thanks for this killer recipe!
Really appreciate this Gabrielle!
Just so how to make this vegan without the eggs? Would flax egg or Justegg work for binding this together?
Hi Melinda- I tried this using flax eggs- it did bind, but the loaf was very heavy- and didd not puff up- the eggs give loft. Personally I think I would blend in some tofu if I were to try again- the tofu would lighten it up.
I made this last Thanksgiving for my vegetarian guest and received nothing but rave reviews. Can I make this to use as a crumble topping for pizza. Would this work? Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
I love that idea Diane! I wonder if you should toast the crumbles a little first in the oven and then add them to the pizza so they don’t get too mushy.
I love the ingredients in this recipe. I would suggest one might also choose a tomatoes cheese sauce for an alternative gravy and topping.
That is a great idea Victoria- like Marinara?
Made it again !!! Didn’t change a thing. Did cheddar cheese . Now it is our favorite meal. Can’t wait to make it for another group of friends!! Great Easter dinner.
Wonderful!
Delicious!!! Everybody loved it!!
Great ot hear!
Hi! I have made this delicious roast twice (no miso but added tom paste, also added poultry seasoning). Any suggestions on adding red lentils to it for more protein?
(We often make a lentil loaf that’s good but could use your chef’s touch, and I thought about combining these recipes somehow.)
Hi Barbara- we will have to work on a lentil loaf! I haven’t tested this with lentils, so can’t give any specific advise. Has anyone else?