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 Roast | 60-Sec Video
How to make Mushroom Roast
Step One:
It starts with toasting the walnuts. You can do this in the oven or on the stovetop.
Feel free to substitute pecans!
Step Two:
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.
Step Three:
Then let all the liquid cook-off. Deglaze with a splash of wine if you like, cooking it completely off.
Step Four:
Season. Stir in a tablespoon of miso paste for depth. Add a couple tablespoons of whole grain mustard.
Step Five:
Pulse the toasted walnuts into the size of a lentil.
Step six:
Pulse the mushroom filling.
A little texture is nice here.
Step seven:
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.
Step Eight
Bake! 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).
Step Nine:
While the mushroom roast is baking make the 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.
Serve!
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 Mushroom Roast 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
- A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner
Wherever this finds you this year, I wish you a very love-filled Thanksgiving.
Cheers friends.
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Sagey Mushroom Nut Roast
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- 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 (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
I don’t do cheese and the plant based cheese doesn’t taste good to me. I’ll try another egg next time. Thank you!
Ok, give it a go and let me know. Thanks Sheryl!
I made the vegan version with flax “eggs” and no cheese. It was very good and held together really well. Then I put leftovers on a hamburger bun with pickle and a little shredded cabbage and that was really good, too! Your website is my go-to recipe source!
Oh, great to hear Mary! Glad the falx eggs worked for you!
The verdict is in, since I froze mine on Thursday and served it on Sunday. It was DRY and fell completely apart upon slicing it. The taste was great but I was disappointed because it crumbled. Obviously more liquid was needed. Another egg, perhaps? Appreciate any advice. Thank you.
Oh dear, sorry about that. Either more egg or more cheese?
I found your recipe after I realized I didn’t have cottage cheese, I usually make The Greens Cook book recipe -Cheese and NUt loaf. My husband loves hunting mushrooms every holiday on our ranch and it happen to been a great year. I used chanterelles, hedge hogs and sweet tooth mushrooms in the loaf. Along with sharp cheddar cheese, wild mix rice, walnuts, light miso, didn’t have celery. Made the gravy with the same mushrooms… We had pomegranate seeds ready to top the loaf, but forgot them. Next time…. Very yummy and easy to substitute ingredients. Cheers to a wonderful recipe.
Sounds delicious Jill! And thanks!
I am beyond excited to taste this! Went in the oven 30 minutes ago and I will serve it Christmas Day. Had a question about the kind of oatmeal? Does it matter? Thanks so much!
I just use organic rolled oats. I think either quick cooking or the thicker kind would both work fine. 🙂
I’ve not tried it yet but I’m sure it will be delicious because your recipes are. Please can you give me a tip to make it without egg. My guests don’t eat eggs.
You can use flax eggs- but it will be a little heavier ( it won’t puff).
For some reason, my guests didn’t really like this dish. I don’t know what I could have done differently. 🙁
Oh shoot Julia- did you happen to change anything? Can you describe what they didn’t like? Flavor, texture? The gravy here does really add to it I think.
Could you freeze this?
Yes Edith, it should freeze just fine!
Hi – can you prepare this a day in advance without baking, and then just bake the next day?
Love your recipes!
yes, that would be fine!
Delicious! I made it tonight.
Awesome Rosana!
Thanks for another easy to follow, fail-proof, and delicious recipe! I’ve never made a vegetarian loaf before but for this Thanksgiving, I decided it was time to give up the overly salted, processed “roasts” that leave me feeling poorly. I’m so glad thay I did! This homemade veggie roast was delicious on its own and fantastic with your mushroom gravy, cranberry dressing, and maple pecan roasted sweet potatoes. And, we feel good too!
Many thanks for your generosity!
Yay Ingrid! Gald you gave this a go and sounds tasty with all the sides. 🙂
Hi Sylvia,
This looks delicious and I plan on making it. However, not sure about the nut measurement. Is it 4 cups or 32oz. of nuts. I measured out 4 cups and it was slightly more than 12 oz.
Thank you.
Hi Dianne- it is 2 cups of nuts. 🙂
I just made this two days ago – I was craving a nut-grain-mushroom dish, like the original Gardenburger from the 90s
On Sunday, right after I made it, I found the miso really overpowered the whole thing, but after sitting in the fridge for 2 days, it was better. I think I’ll use less miso next time – and there will be a next time, as the texture and flavour are great!
Hey Tina- thnaks and good to know! FYI I used white miso- not sure which you used, but white miso has a milder flavor.
Hi Sylivia! I’m intrigued by your recipe! I’m curious (and I know this will be 100% opinion on your part) is this “meat-like”? Not texture, but does it have what I think of as the dark flavors of beef? Like how French onion soup has that very dark flavor from the meat stock. Or beef bourguignon with the red wine and the beef. I find red miso can have this quality too – miso ramen soup has similarly dark heavy flavors. Can you picture what I’m talking about at all? (Flavors are so hard to describe!) How beef-adjacent is this sensory experience? Thank you!
Hi Elizableth- yes, it has lovely umami flavor and depth. The miso helps here, as well as muchrooms and toasted walnuts. For extra umami- serve it with the mushroom gravy!
Does it freeze well? I have intention of cooking way ahead
I havent tried freezing- but seems like it should be fine!
This is excellent. The miso, mustard and sage give it a great flavor. I toasted my walnuts in the oven and they were great. I usually just use a pan but these got really brown in the oven and made a big difference. The loaf sliced perfectly and held together well. Definitely keep cooking the veggies in the pan until the liquid is pretty much gone.
Thanks, and glad you enjoyed this T.R.
My husband won’t eat cheese, and it was still absolutely fabulous and special enough for Christmas dinner. Serving it with the mushroom gravy makes it extra delicious. Leftovers froze well. Thanks Sylvia for creating another masterpiece.
Thanks so much Betty!
I just made this recipe and it was so so amazing! Great texture and great flavor. I also used a cup of breadcrumbs instead of oats and it had a nice consistency. I loved the unique flavor the miso paste added.
Perfect! Glad it worked for you.
What size loaf pan please?
Hi Marian- we used a standard 9×5 loaf pan.
Thanks Sylvia. I liked this recipe very much but unfortunately my husband didn’t. He’s a meat and potatoes man, but said that he would like it as a stuffing alongside roast chicken1
Oh shoot Marian! Maybe as a side then…
This is very tasty and is fast becoming a favourite veggie meal!
Can it be frozen once cooked?
I think it should freeze fine Marianne!
I’m doing a Whole30 and wondering what I could sub for the oats. Any ideas?
That is a great question Lisa- has anyone else tried subbing the oats?
Hi, I have used brown rice instead of oats, and also white rice.
Oh good, thanks for the info! Helpful!
Both my partner and I LOVED this! Already looking forward to left overs tomorrow. Thank you for another amazing recipe. Wishing you a wonderful 2022!
So glad you enjoyed this Katie!
I made this for myself and the other vegetarians at Christmas. It was absolutely delicious and looked beautiful! I didn’t add the cheese. I am going to try it next time vegan, just to see if it works. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Thanks Jill! Let us know how the vegan version turns out!
Can this be made in like an 8×12 casserole dish? Pie plate? Muffin tin? I have everything but a loaf pan! D;
Oh Shoot! Yes Ellery, I think all would work. You may need to adjust baking time though- may need less time?
I made this for my family gathering and everyone loved it. I also made the mushroom gravy. So delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipes!
Yay Donna! Glad you enjoyed!
Can I make this a day ahead of my dinner party? I’m trying to plan around the day and hoping to make a couple of things day before to not stress on the actual day.
Yes, Sara, it can be made ahead and reheated (at 350F).