Vegetable Beetloaf
This post will show you how to make a Vegetable Beetloaf. A tasty plant-based side for any special occasion! It’s gluten-free, vegan and seriously that amazing! It’s really just another creative way to serve vegetables! To make this meal uber extraordinary make some of The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Gravy and generously pour it over creamy mashed potatoes or a baked potato! Ready to try? Keep reading for the recipe, process pictures and the instructions!
Why a Vegetable Beetloaf?
To start and to clarify, this beetloaf does not include meat. This loaf is packed with an abundance of fresh vegetables, herbs, seasoning and a few extra ingredients to keep it wholesome, nutritious and flavourful!
It will not taste like meat.
It will not have a meat texture.
It will taste like a combination of delicious vegetables!
Special Holiday Meal
As we transition to eating even more plant-based meals, it’s possible to crave something new. This Vegetable Beetloaf takes some time to prepare, but it’s actually pretty simple. In fact, you probably have many of the vegetables and ingredients included in the recipe. It’s really just another creative way to serve vegetables!
Imagine all of your favourites textures and flavours all in one dish. Better yet, picture a special holiday meal—all in one bite! That’s especially true if you combine a piece of the beetloaf with a scoop of potatoes and cover it with a comforting and delicious amount of gravy! Yum!
Method
This recipe includes a few steps. The first is simple, prepare all the vegetables and roast them until tender and soft. Only the beets will get roughly puréed in a blender or food processor to make the final mixing of all ingredients a little easier. The last step is the easiest, baking the loaves for about 40 minutes.
Roasting & Baking
This recipe includes roasting the vegetables first and then baking the final roast in the oven. The initial roasting helps to create the best flavours while keeping the steps for this Vegetable Beetloaf as simple as possible.
Could you make this recipe without cooking the veggies first? I would suggest not to skip the oven roasting step as you might get hard bits in your loaf and that wouldn’t be very pleasing to eat.
Even though the Vegetable Beetloaf is softer in texture, because most of the ingredients are roughly mashed, the final loaf will be chunkier.
Tools
The tools needed to make this recipe are pretty standard.
You will need:
- Baking sheets (x2) or large baking dish
- Unbleached parchment paper
- Large knife
- Paring knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Potato masher
- Oven
- Vitamix blender or food processor
- Mixing bowl
- Bread pans (x2) (approx. 7.5 x 3.5-in) or baking dish
Vegan Beet Loaf
Fresh is Real has another Vegan Beet Loaf recipe on the blog, for some, it might seem more time consuming to make because of all the seeds that are included in it.
The texture of that loaf is softer for sure which could seem different for some that are not familiar with mostly plant-based and allergen-friendly cooking.
Warming up a leftover slice, in a pan with a little oil, will crisp up each side making it extra yummy!
Previous Recipe
Did you get to see my last bread recipe? The Simple Sorghum Sourdough was recently posted and has since been a huge hit! I’m so proud of all the gluten-free, vegan bakers that have tried it already!
It fills my heart with so much joy to help people with food sensitivities and allergies to make safe, nutritious bread alternatives!
My bread recipes are usually safe for people with autoimmune diseases and are great for people with celiac disease. If you know anyone that would love to try GFV baking, please tell them about Fresh is Real. They can join the Facebook group!
Share Your Creations
Once you try this vibrant coloured Vegetable Beetloaf recipe, take a picture and share it with us on Instagram! Tag it @freshisreal_ with hashtag #freshisreal
One more thing, if you make this recipe please leave a comment below with a rating! It will help others find it!
Vegetable Beetloaf
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 + 40 minutes
- Total Time: +/- 2 hours
- Yield: 8 sides 1x
- Category: Dinner, Sides, Holiday, Special Occasion
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Plant-Based, Allergen-Friendly
Description
Imagine the perfect holiday meal with creamy mashed potatoes, The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Gravy and Vegetable Beetloaf! This dish is a simple and creative way to serve vegetables! It’s packed with an abundance of fresh produce: beets, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, peas, corn, onion, garlic, herbs, and a few more standard ingredients plus it’s gluten-free, vegan and allergen-friendly!
Ingredients
3 medium red or golden beets, peeled and diced (1/2-3/4-in), (2 cups chunky purée)
1 carrot, peeled and grated (1/2 cup)
8 mushrooms, brown cremini or white, chopped (1 to 1-1/2 cup)
1 large potato, peeled and diced (generous full cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 generous cup, organic canned chickpeas, rinsed and strained
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernel
1/3 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/3 cup red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
8-12 fresh thyme sprigs, large stems removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Binder:*
- 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
- 2 tablespoon golden flax meal
- 1/3 cup GF quick oats
Flavour Add-Ins (Optional):
- 4 drops liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon organic Tamari
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Line two baking sheets or large oven-safe dishes with parchment paper.
- Line two bread pans (approx. 7.5 x 3.5 inches) with parchment paper.
- To begin, peel and dice your beets and place them on the first baking sheet.
- Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and some fresh thyme.
- Bake for 40 minutes, stirring the beets around at least twice while baking.
- While the beets are in the oven, prepare the remaining vegetables (carrot, mushrooms, potato, onions, corn, peas, red pepper, garlic, more thyme) along with the chickpeas and place on the second baking sheet and toss with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Bake the second tray of vegetable for 30 minutes, stirring things around at least twice while baking.
- Once the beets are ready, transfer them to a blender and blend until roughly puréed.
- To a large bowl, add beets and additional vegetables once ready.
- Mashed the other vegetable with a potato masher to crush the larger bits of veggies.
- Add remaining ingredients: pepper, sea salt, tomato paste, hemp hearts, quick oats, flax meal, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, Tamari and mix until well combined.
- Transfer mixture to two lined bread pans. See process pictures for visual guidance. The mix should be about 1.5 inches high in each pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes, uncovered.
- Slice and serve right away! Great reheated the next day!
Notes
Please note that if the beetloaf is kept in the bread pan with the parchment paper, some moisture might form at the bottom of each loaf. Consider transferring the loaves to a serving plate. Keep warm until ready to serve.
REMINDER: Don’t forget to prepare and cook some potatoes (mashed or baked) with some of The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Gravy while the loaves are baking.
To store, transfer loaves to a glass container with a cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze extra leftovers.
* Binder: if you don’t have hemp hearts you can use 1/2 cups GF quick oats or 1/2 cup of a combo of oats and flax meal. Don’t want to use oats, you can sub with almond meal if you’re not allergic or replace with a seed flour.
