Meatless Monday...Tofu "Meat"loaf

Over the past week I was craving meatloaf and roasted potatoes. Kind of an odd craving for the middle of summer, but I went with it. Instead of making a traditional beef or even turkey meatloaf, I decided on tofu. It came out wonderful…packed with veggies and almost tasted like meat. You can always squeeze extra vegetables into meatloaf (think tomatoes, peppers, onion, celery, corn, summer squash, and zucchini). It will cut down on the calories per serving (vegetables are lower in calories and help fill you up).

 

Substituting tofu for meat in the recipe cuts the saturated and total fat down and supplies an excellent serving of calcium and soy protein (which promotes heart health). I added oats in addition to the breadcrumbs for extra fiber and body.

 

Don’t let the list of ingredients stop you, many of them are found in the pantry and it’s a super easy recipe. I served mine with roasted red, white, blue, and sweet potatoes (so pretty!) and a large caprese salad. Simple, yet delicious.

 

Tofu “Meat”Loaf

Makes 8 Servings

 

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

½ cup shredded carrots

1 sweet onion, diced

2 packages of firm tofu, drained and mashed

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup sundried tomatoes

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce, reduced sodium

½ cup breadcrumbs

¾ cup old fashioned oats

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Pepper, to taste

½ cup ketchup, divided

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x5 bread loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, carrots, and onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft. Remove from heat.
3. Combine all ingredients except ketchup in a bowl and mix well (with hands). Add 2 Tbsp of ketchup and combine into mixture.
4. Press the tofu mixture into the bread pan. Spread remaining ketchup over the top of the loaf. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and slice into 1” pieces.

 

Nutrition Facts: 1/8 of loaf

190 calories, 8 g fat (1 g saturated), 20 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 12 g protein, 375 mg sodium.