Sagey Mushroom Walnut Roast- a savory, hearty vegetarian main dish, perfect for the holiday table. Make this ahead and serve with Mushroom gravy and Mashed Potatoes.
“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 meatless main for your holiday table this year. It’s hearty, filling and full of earthy, umami flavor. Make sure to serve it with your favorite gravy- or try it with this Mushroom Gravy – especially good here-double the mushrooms!
Sagey Mushroom Walnut Loaf | 60-Sec Video
It starts with toasting the walnuts. You can do this in the oven or on the stovetop.
In an extra-large skillet, saute onion, celery, and carrots.
Add a pound of mushrooms.
Saute over medium heat until the mushrooms release all their liquid, about 15-20 minutes.
Covering the pan will help this happen faster.
Then let all the liquid cook off. Deglaze with a splash of wine if you like, cooking it completely off.
Stir in a tablespoon of miso paste for depth.
Add a couple tablespoons of whole grain mustard.
Pulse the toasted walnuts into the size of a lentil.
Pulse the mushroom filling.
A little texture is nice here.
Then mix it all together.
Stir in some oats (or you could also use cooked rice or even fresh bread crumbs).
Sometimes I add cheese, sometimes I leave it out. Both work.
The recipe is quite forgiving.
Mix it all together into a thick batter.
Line a Loaf pan with parchment, spraying the two ends with spray olive oil.
Spread out the mushroom roast filling.
Bake in a 375F oven until puffed and golden, about 30- 35 minutes.
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.
Loosen the sides with a knife and flip onto a platter ( or cover with foil and keep warm until serving).
While the mushroom roast is baking make some gravy.
Here I’ve made a mushroom gravy– doubling up the mushrooms.
Or make your favorite version of gravy.
You could also use a ketchup-like glaze or BBQ sauce for the top if you prefer a “meatloaf” style roast.
Right before serving pour the warm mushroom gravy over top of the Mushroom Loaf and sprinkle with 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.
Can this be made ahead?
Yes, the roast reheats wonderfully at 350F.
Can this be made vegan?
I haven’t tried but I suspect you could substitute flax eggs for the eggs and leave out the cheese.
More meatless mains you may like:
- Mushroom Wellington with Rosemary and Pecans
- Teriyaki Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
- Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Walnut Coffee Sauce
- Butternut Lasagna with Mushrooms and Sage
- Indian Shepherds Pie
- Creamy Mushroom Soup
Wherever this finds you this year, I wish you a very love-filled Thanksgiving.
Cheers friends.
Sylvia
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Sagey Mushroom Nut Roast
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: vegetarian main
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Sagey Mushroom Walnut Roast- a savory, hearty vegetarian main dish, perfect for the holiday table.
Ingredients
Mushroom Roast:
- 2 cups walnuts, toasted
- 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 and/or 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
I’ve also made this cheese with good results. The cheese does a nice richness here though. But good either way.
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!
Keywords: nut loaf recipe, mushroom loaf, mushroom roast, mushroom walnut loaf, best nut loaf, vegan mushroom loaf
This is really delicious-I used poultry seasoning instead of sage and added 1 teaspoon of curry piwde-WOW!
I agree with Faye! Your recipes are blowing my mind! This was delish! Made it with a nutritional yeast “turkey” gravy and mashed potatoes and WOW! Thank you thank you thank you! You are making being a vegetarian (and mostly vegan) super fun!
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Awwww thanks! Glad you are enjoying Megan!
I’m obsessed with your recipes and was looking to make a nut roast so I thought I’d check yours out!
Do you have any suggestions for what to replace the egg with to make this a vegan recipe please?
5 stars in advance because, so far, everything I’ve made from this website has exceeded my expectations! – biiig fan of the cilantro mint chutney <3
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You could try flax eggs?
I tried this with flax eggs and it worked a treat!!
I am allergic to all tree nuts–is there any nut free substitute in place of the walnuts?
No, not yet, sorry.
This recipe is sooo delicious, it was a success
★★★★★
Love this recipe….has a great finished texture and all the different ingredients meld together really well. Firm favourite in our house for a roast dinner.
★★★★★
Hello Sylvia, happy new year!
I cooked this recipe yesterday with my daughter for our New year’s eve dinner and we were not disappointed. The mushrooms sauce is also so flavorful. I will definetely cook this recipe again.
And just to let you know, for the eggs, we replaced them by 3 chia seeds eggs and the texture was perfect.
Thank you for this great recipe !
Thanks Marie- helpful! Happy new year!
Hello Sylvia, I made this recipe for Christmas. It was a great success. I substituted leeks for half the quantity of onion, and chopped up cranberries to replace the pomegranate seeds. With half the loaf remaining, we discovered sliced thinly and served cold it became a pate (sans gravy), and was delicious with rustic bread, mustard and various pickles. My DH says that if you didn’t exist, we would have to invent you! Thanks again for your Saturday morning emails.
thanks Vivian!
Hi Sylvia
I used your (almost) entire Thanksgiving menu for my Christmas dinner this year, with my Vegan daughter and vegetarian hubby.
We loved it all! I will post the pics to insta
Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed!
Another one for the books! Your recipes are always so well-written and organic for the cooking process (I.e. throwing some wine in to deglaze). I also love the endless variations offered so if I’m cooking for someone with a different diet I know how to adjust and trust it will be nutritious and amazing! I wish I could figure out some shortcuts so I could make it on work nights..
Thank you again, Sylvia!
★★★★★
AMAZING! My whole family loved it. I’m a vegetarian so I made it for Thanksgiving for myself. The whole family ended up eating it because it was so delicious!
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Hi! This looks delish. I will try to use flax and not egg. Do you think it can freeze beforehand ?
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Havent tried to freeze or make with a flax eggs- so honestly not sure of the outcome here. I think it would freeze best after being baked.
I made this as my Thanksgiving main course with fluffy mashed potatoes. It was exquisite and rich. The pomegranate seeds and gravy were an excellent addition of color and flavor. What a great way to enjoy mushrooms! Thank you, Sylvia!
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Thanks Maria! Glad you enjoyed.
This was delicious! Super umami bomb with the cheddar cheese. We’re not veggie, but my husband said to put it in the “make again” section of my recipes.
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Great to hear, glad you liked it!
My family enjoyed this on Thanksgiving this year. It had all the fanciness that I wish on a holiday meal. Everyone loved it and I have shared the recipe with anyone who expressed interest. Thanksgiving had such a unique flair with this roadt, this year, thank you!
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Thanks so much Amelia- glad this worked for you!
Hi Sylvia- can’t wait to try this, can this be made ahead or assembled in the pan and baked just before eating? Many thanks
Yes, that would work fine! Make ahead, bring to room temp, bake before serving.
I had a similar nut loaf recipe 25 years ago, our family loved during holidays, but lost it along the way. This one sounds awesome and plan to make it, with your mushroom gravy, for Solstice. Thank you Sylvia, all your recipes are fantastic!!
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Hi Sylvia! I love your food blog. Thank you for being my go-to! I was wondering, is there a good sub for the walnuts? I would love to make this but my partner is allergic!
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how about Pecans?
Mine turned out very wet, any suggestions to avoid that for next time? The flavours were still amazing, just bad consistency!
Oh dear. Did you add cheese and cottage cheese or leave them out?
I used them!
I adjusted the time a bit- it needs a bit longer when you add the cottage cheese. Sorry about that.
re trying it today ! thanks for the update 🙂
Hi Sylvia,
First let me start by saying that I have been gathering recipes off the internet for years and your blog is the first one I’ve subscribed to. Every recipe that I’ve tried so far has been amazing. As well, I love your thoughts on life and the quotes you share. Today we got our first dump of snow which always seems to draw me into my kitchen. I made “Sagey Mushroom Nut Roast” and once it was completed I realized that I may have made a mistake with the amount of mushrooms I used. Your recipe calls for 16 oz of mushrooms and I am now thinking you meant weight not volume. Could you please confirm and give me an idea, like you did in the Mushroom Gravy recipe, approximately how many cups to use? It’s in the oven now…I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again!
Yes, weight! So you need one pound of mushrooms, it was around 5-6 cups sliced. I clarified the recipe- sorry about that. I’m scared to ask, did it turn out?
It was still super yummy but it was very dense, likely because of the nuts. Therefore, we could only eat a small piece before we felt full. Regardless we still really enjoyed it! I’m looking forward to making it again with the proper amount of mushrooms. I also wanted to add that the mushroom gravy was the bomb! Thank you again for all of your wonderful recipes.
★★★★★
Omg! I’m so happy you sent this out in your newsletter! I’m going to make it for Thanksgiving 🤗
Sounds really lovely! Was just wondering if you can make it in advance and freeze it? If so would you cook it before you freeze it? Thanks!
Hi Sue, I think it would be fine freezing. I’d bake, and maybe even slice first before freezing if you don’t plan on. eating it all at once.
Thanks so much Sylvia! I had never thought that I could slice first before freezing. And I can make this gluten free too! Win win all around!