Vegan Burger Meatloaf: Don't Let the Name Turn You Off!

Recently, I found meaty vegan burgers on the clearance shelf at the grocery store. They expired that day and they looked suuuper realistic, so while the price (literally a few pence) was impossible to refuse, the combination of the meatiness (pink!) and the expiration made me loath to use them as burgers. I needed to make them into something that hid the fact of their true identity! Enter MEATLOAF! No not him, I don't even know him!

Meatloaf is such an American stereotype. To be honest, I don't think I ever actually had the real thing growing up. (We're Italian; we ate good food.) It's one of many, many dishes that I only am interested in now that I am vegan, because the real thing makes me go "ew!" and "oh no!" (Haggis being another.)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 small onions or 1 big

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 2 vegan burger patties

• 1/2 cup chickpea flour

• 1/4 ketchup

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. First, preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

2. Then blend the onions, water, and spices in the blender. I know...it hurt for me too, to have my daily smoothie maker smell like onions. But them's the breaks.

3. Pour that mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the burger patties. Put on gloves? or just take a deep breath and dive in? and break up the patties and mix mix mix it all together so it's all homogenous. Don't think about it too hard too too hard!

4. Add the chickpea flour!

5. Pour this mess into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

6. Mix the ketchup and brown sugar and pour that on the top of the loaf, spreading it evenly.

7. Bake for at least an hour. It took me 1 hour 20 minutes but I like it really really well done, mostly so I forget about the pinkness of those burger patties.

This turned out REALLY well! It's like an interestingly spiced loaf of burger meat. Okay that's exactly what it is. The topping mixture made that exact traditional meatloaf taste, pure Americana. I was really pleased! As you can see, I served it with broccoli but to be authentic you really need some kind of potato!

I am only sharing a picture of the finished product because every other stage was just horrifying! You'll see!