This lentil pecan bakes recipe is an incredibly simple recipe but full of flavour with the richness of red wine and Umami stock. The simplicity makes it perfect for beginners in the kitchen, those attempting a vegan Christmas for the first time, or those making a vegan Christmas main alongside a more traditional option.
But don’t let the beginner friendly element trick you into thinking the flavours aren’t complex enough for a more seasoned cook. I’ve made several variations of a Christmas main in years gone by, and this one is a very serious contender for my Christmas Dinner this year.
The mix can be made a couple of days in advance too, if necessary, so it’s a good option for those who like to prep as much as possible before the main day. Of course, this would also be a delicious component for any Sunday Roast as well as Christmas main idea for vegans.
Nutritional Information
One serving, a third of this recipe, contains 377 calories, 12g of protein and 7g of fibre.
Each serving provides 65% of your daily vitamin D (mainly from the mushrooms), a third of your daily B1 and 40% of your daily folate.
How to store/ keep and does it freeze?
You can store this recipe in the freezer for up to one month. Defrost before cooking/ reheating. Cooked loaf/ patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
To reheat, heat the oven to 140°c and cook for 15 minutes to gently reheat without drying the bakes out.
Ingredient Choices and Substitutions
For this recipe, I used the Kallo Organic Umami Stock Cubes and a medium bodied shiraz to cook the lentils in. You can use any red wine of your choice, but I’d recommend something medium to heavy bodied rather than something on the lighter side. If you wish to make this recipe alcohol free, you can use the same volume of liquid exclusively with stock, but also add a tbsp of tomato puree and a pinch of sugar to your saucepan when cooking the lentils.
If you’re in a real pinch, you can use cooked lentils in place of cooking them yourself but, if possible, still add 1-2 tbsp of red wine to the vegetable pan when cooking the mushrooms.
Lentil Pecan Bakes Recipe
Incredible vegan lentil pecan bakes with wholesome, whole-food ingredients like lentils, nuts and mushrooms!
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, soy free and vegan. It does contain nuts.
Lentil Pecan Bakes Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup lentils Verde
- 200 ml red wine
- 1 ½ cup Umami vegetable stock
- 75 g roughly chopped chestnut mushrooms
- ½ red onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- Few sprays fry spray
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Pinch of nutmeg
- ¾ cup pecan halves
Instructions
-
Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper, or line a baking tray if you wish to make this recipe as patties.
-
Add lentils to a saucepan with the red wine and vegetable stock on medium heat. Bring to the boil then reduce to a low simmer and leave to simmer for approximately 35 minutes until the lentils are cooked but there’s still a little bit of red wine/ stock mix left.
-
When the lentils have about 5 minutes left to cook, add a large frying pan to medium heat. Spray with a few sprays of fry spray, then add the onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme and nutmeg. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, then stir in the chopped mushrooms. Leave the mushrooms to cook for roughly one minute, then add the lentils and the remaining liquid to the pan and stir to combine. Reduce to a low heat and leave the red wine mix to infuse into the lentils for 3-5 minutes.
-
Add the contents of the pan to a food processor, start to add in the pecans ¼ cup at a time and pulse the mix until you get the ideal texture. This should be easy to shape into patties/ meatballs and slightly sticky to the touch but still have a little bit of texture from the lentils and mushrooms.
-
Either shape into three patties or press the mix into a small loaf tin. Cook at 180°c for either 25 minutes if making patties, or approximately 40 minutes for a loaf. Leave the loaf to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing it.
Serve and enjoy!
Until tomorrow,
Sophie
Leave a Reply