A few days after Easter I tried my hand at making a lentil loaf, a recipe that was new to me.
I didn’t know any recipes, but I dove in anyway — one thing I was sure about: the lentils must be cooked first! 😄💪
For everything else I had doubts: whether to add an egg to bind the mixture, or use potatoes as a binder, whether to puree the lentils or not, what to put in the filling, whether it was better to cook the loaf in a pan or in the oven…
In the end I went by instinct and the recipe became one of my usual “let’s-add-what-we-have” dishes — basically a recycling recipe: I had only two potatoes so I used them as a binder (one or two more potatoes would also have been fine), I had two hard-boiled eggs (Easter leftovers) and used them for the filling, and I had a lonely slice of speck which I added.
Adding the slice of speck prevents me from labeling this recipe as vegetarian, but I know you know what to do. If you don’t want to use it, you can omit it and try a sprinkle of smoked paprika instead. 😉
As every Monday, today is the Light and Tasty column — the theme is “regional recipe revisited with a light twist” — and with this lentil loaf I wanted to revisit the classic meatloaf, a traditional recipe widespread all over Italy (and beyond), with a typical variation in each region. In recent years this lentil version has become quite popular, often made vegan, and finally I had the chance to try it.
The family panel liked it a lot, so give it a try too! I’m sure you’ll like it!
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If you need more ideas, here are links to some patties recipes, all of which can be adapted into a loaf! 👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups green lentils (about 250 g)
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion (small)
- 2 potatoes
- 1 slice speck (optional)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (or, better, 3)
- rosemary
- smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Tools
- Padella
- Pentola
- Tritatutto
- Teglia da forno
- Carta forno
- Coltello
Steps
First of all, cook the lentils.
I used green lentils, which usually cook in about 20 minutes. To make them soft and easy to mash with a fork I extended the cooking time by about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the carrots and onion and cook them in a pan with a teaspoon of oil, a sprig of rosemary and the crumbled slice of speck (which you can of course omit — its aroma can be replaced with a sprinkle of smoked paprika).
When the carrots are softened and dry, add the lentils to the pan, drained from their cooking water.
Stir, let the moisture evaporate, and season with a pinch of pepper and smoked paprika.
Meanwhile cook the potatoes in the microwave.
I cooked them peeled and cut into pieces, but you can also cook them whole with the skin on — just remember to pierce or cut the skin.
👉 For full details on cooking potatoes in the microwave, diced or whole, see my article Potatoes boiled in the microwave.
Mash the potatoes and lentils with a fork.
👉 If you have an extra potato it can help bind the lentils better.
Transfer the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper and spread it out, pressing it a little, trying to form a rectangle.
Place the peeled hard-boiled eggs in the middle.
👉 As you can see in the next photo, three eggs would have been the right number. 😋
Roll the mixture around the eggs, using the parchment paper to help.
Compact the roll with your hands, and if needed use a spatula, until you get a uniform log.
Sprinkle the surface with breadcrumbs (then shake off any excess).
👉 I thought the breadcrumbs would create a crunchy crust, but since it’s baked wrapped in parchment paper this step may not be essential (I’ll try it next time!).
Wrap the lentil loaf stuffed with hard-boiled eggs in parchment paper, sealing it well at the sides.
Place it on a baking tray and bake at 392°F (then I lowered it to 356°F).
Bake for about 40 minutes.
👉 For the cooking time I went by feel; since it’s wrapped and not visible I couldn’t easily gauge how it was cooking 😅 but after 40 minutes the roll felt firm and dry to the touch. Adjust according to your oven and chosen temperature — it also depends on the initial moisture content of the mixture.
During baking, turn the roll occasionally so the surface browns evenly.
Remove from the oven and take off the parchment paper.
Let the loaf cool — or at least cool down slightly — before slicing.
I was too impatient to see the inside and sliced it while it was still a bit too hot. Some slices insisted on crumbling, but I managed to control them by swapping the smooth-blade knife I had used initially for a worthy bread knife. 😉
Here are the first slices without a hard-boiled egg — this is how the lentil loaf should look if you decide not to fill it:
And here are the dramatic slices with the hard-boiled egg, the ones you may already have seen in the cover photo.
I’m pleased with how I managed to arrange these slices — they make a nice impression, don’t you think? 😄
In my and my family’s opinion, this lentil loaf pairs well with a sauce.
I have several suitable sauces on the blog, starting with those used in the vegetable patties recipes. I’ll link them again so you can choose which you prefer:
– Ricotta, kefir and herb sauce, in the vegetable patties recipe
– Yogurt and mint sauce, in the vegetarian patties recipe.
Also, if you like bolder flavors, I suggest the spicy Tex-Mex sauce! 😋
Enjoy!! 🤗
