Low FODMAP Lentil Loaf
This low FODMAP lentil loaf is vegan, gluten and nightshade-free. The pumpkin spice glaze makes it perfect as a festive main course.
Servings: 5
Equipment
- Food processor
- Metal loaf tin I used a 900 gram/2 lb size tin
Ingredients
- 60 g walnuts
- 150 g carrots
- 100 g parsnips
- 75 g Kent pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil
- 150 g canned mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon asafoetida gluten-free if required
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegemite gluten-free if required
- 180 g canned green/brown lentils rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon crushed fennel seed
- 1 stock cube low fodmap and/or gluten-free if required
- 250 g cooked brown rice
- 1 cup pumpkin spice ketchup substitute with ketchup, bbq or sauce of choice
- 1½ teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 60 ml / ¼ cup red wine optional
Instructions
- If you’re not using leftover, pre-cooked rice then boil half a cup (100g) of dried brown rice in double its volume of salted water until fully cooked. This should give roughly 250g once cooked.
- Rinse 150 g canned mushrooms and 180 g canned green/brown lentils thoroughly and set them aside separately to drain. Peel and dice 150 g carrots, 100 g parsnips and 75 g Kent pumpkin into 2cm or ¾” dice. Finely chop 60 g walnuts, 1½ tsp fresh rosemary, 1 Tbsp fresh thyme and 1 Tbsp fresh ginger.
- Toast the walnuts in a dry, non-stick pan for 2 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. This step is optional, but it does increase the depth of flavour of the walnuts. Set the toasted nuts aside and return the pan to the heat.
- Add the carrots, parsnip and 1 cup of boiling water to the pan. Pop the lid on and allow it to fast simmer for 3 minutes until beginning to soften. After 3 minutes, add the pumpkin and continue to simmer with the lid on for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are fully cooked. Set the vegetables aside in a sieve to drain off any excess water.
- Drizzle in 1 Tbsp garlic-infused olive oil and swirl to coat the base of the pan. Add the mushrooms and fry on high for 3 minutes. Sprinkle over 1 tsp asafoetida, ginger, ½ tsp cracked black pepper, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1 Tbsp vegemite. Allow it to simmer on medium-high for 2 minutes until the juices begin to caramelise on the mushrooms.
- Add the lentils, 1 tsp dried sage, ½ tsp crushed fennel seed and 1 stock cube. Deglaze the pan with 60 ml / ¼ cup red wine or hot water.
- Turn off the heat and add the toasted walnuts and 250 g cooked brown rice. Stir through 80 ml / ⅓ cup from the 1 cup pumpkin spice ketchup or your sauce of choice. Place half the mixture in a food processor and blend until roughly chopped. Add the fresh herbs and continue to blend into a smooth pate. Add the pate back into the pan with the other half of the original mixture and stir well to combine.Hint: Rather than blitzing half the mixture smooth and leaving half chunky you can blend the full mixture so that the whole loaf will be smooth. This is a good option if serving to children or guests who may be texture-averse to nuts, vegetables and mushrooms.
- Spoon the mixture into a lined loaf tin. Press the mixture firmly into the tin and smooth out the top with a fork.
- Allow the loaf to sit in the fridge overnight. This helps it to firm up and makes it easier to cut into slices. If you’re short on time you can skip this but I recommend cooking it for at least 15 minutes longer to achieve a firmer loaf.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/350℉/Gas 4. Bake the loaf on the middle shelf for 30 minutes if you rested it overnight or 45 minutes if you cooked it straight away. Remove from the oven and pour over the remaining pumpkin-spiced ketchup. Smooth the sauce across the surface of the loaf with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Return the loaf to the oven for a final 15-20 minutes until the sauce has caramelised on top.
- I garnished my loaf with an optional sprig of fresh rosemary for a pop of colour. Serve it with your favourite seasonal veggies and extra sauce on the side.
Notes
FODMAP Notes: I created my pumpkin spiced ketchup to be as low in FODMAPs as possible so it can be used in combination with the FODMAPs in this lentil loaf without the risk of stacking.
If you decide to swap the sauce for something else you'll need to be mindful of how the FODMAPs in your sauce will stack against those in the lentil loaf and any side dishes you plan to serve it with.
See the full blog post for detailed FODMAP ingredient notes. FODMAP values, portions and classifications can and do change over time.
I use standard UK metric measurements in all of my recipes:
- 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 tablespoon = 15 ml
- 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
