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
How can I make this without oats, is there a suitable substitute?
In the comments- People have used cooked brown rice or bread crumbs with good results.
As I commented about a month ago, I intended on making this as part of our Easter meal to offset the traditional meat heavy foods—and I did! I was very pleased how it turned out and we all enjoyed it! I omitted the sage and added chopped green onions, parsley and a lot of dill to the processed mushroom/ oat mixture for more of a spring vibe. I also added a couple of splashes of fruity balsamic (not traditional balsamic) to brighten the flavor a bit. I did all the taste testing before adding the eggs. I also added the optional cheese, using sharp cheddar. I may tinker with the recipe a bit more for next year, but until then I look forward to making it as is (with the mushroom gravy, as that sounds delicious!). I bet this would work well as individual patties too, if baked in the oven on a parchment lined cookie sheet and flipping partway through.
Awesome Leslie, really love that you are playing around with it! Appreciate you taking time to leave a review.
Pay attention to the prep time, because it does take that long, but is totally worth it. I used a mix of mushrooms including shiitake, trumpet and oyster. I also substituted aquafaba for the eggs. The cook time was right and I gauged by the internal temp. My slices didn’t totally hold together but if serving with mashed potatoes you will not care. Also highly recommend the mushroom gravy link, it is delicious over the potatoes and loaf.
Hi Heather, Glad you gave it a try. The eggs are really the binder here. Others have found flax eggs to work. There is a lot of great information in the comments!
I can hardly wait to try this recipe!
Being of Eastern European descent, we take a basket of traditional Easter food to church to have it blessed for our holiday meal. It’s very animal-centric—ham, eggs, kolbassi (sausage) Easter cheese along with a beet and horseradish condiment. My family also made a meatloaf we call polnina. Although I love the idea of these foods, we largely eat a plant based diet so it’s a bit much. I started making the polnina with impossible burger, but I like the idea of this mushroom loaf even better. I’ll probably add green onions and dill instead of sage in keeping with the spring season. I’ll keep you posted!
Sounds good Leslie! Let us know how it turns out.
This was really delicious. I made the mushroom gravy to to serve on it but the mushroom loaf was moist and flavorful enough that it didn’t really need any sauce. I am excited about the possibility of using this recipe for other things, like shaping into meatballs or crumbling to use in spaghetti sauce. And I think it will be great in sandwiches.
Wonderful Gloria!