Homemade “Beyond Meat” Meatloaf with Miso Gravy

You asked, I delivered! The runaway popularity of my Homemade “Beyond Meat” burgers resulted in this new and improved version of homemade Beyond Meat made with farro, mushrooms, walnuts, and tempeh. I’ve created a holiday-appropriate homemade “Beyond Meat” meatloaf for a vegan-friendly Christmas main course.

Okay, full disclosure. I am a little bit tipsy after a fun night of drinking my weight in beer and Irish coffee (hello, Jameson’s Irish whiskey. I love you). But I have to go to work tomorrow so I must get this post written out tonight. LOL. Forgive me if half of what I say in the preamble makes no sense at all; this homemade “Beyond Meat” meatloaf recipe will make up for any nonsensical ramblings leading up to it! 😉

The Homemade “Beyond Meat” Burger recipe that I published last March is the most popular recipe on the blog to date: since publication, it’s had over 18 000 views! That’s a lot of people looking for a way to recreate Beyond Meat in their own kitchens, with perhaps fewer processed ingredients and additives than the famous Beyond Meat found on restaurant menus and in grocery stores.

While I was happy with the way that the original burgers turned out at the time, I knew that there was still work to be done, and from your feedback, many of you agreed.

Marc-Andre said: ” This recipe turned out well. My only issue is that the patties fall apart very easily. Great flavour though!”

Jo said: ” The taste is outstanding! Add some peas for extra flavor!
However, the texture is still too mushy.”

KT said: ” We enjoyed the patties and will make them again. However, the texture and taste do not replace the Beyond Burger. Bonus is the calories, and sodium levels are much improved than the Beyond Burger. It is a keeper.”

From what I understand, you all loved the flavour in my first iteration of homemade Beyond Meat, but the texture left something to be desired.

Well, I listened. I went back to the drawing board, and I’m happy to finally share with you homeade “Beyond Meat” 2.0 just in time for the holidays. It’s new and improved, with a texture that more closely resembles meat thanks to the farro, mushrooms, walnuts, and tempeh in this recipe. Shredded beet provides a hint of that bloody colour that beef has, oat flour and ground flax bind, and garlic, tamari, nutritional yeast, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, barbecue sauce, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper provide lots of umami and all-around flavour.

The kicker in this recipe is the addition of vegan mayonnaise and vegan butter. I knew that if I wanted to really knock this vegan meatloaf out of the park, I would need to bust out some ingredients that provide some greasiness, to mimic the fat that bubbles out of meat as it cooks and gives it that oily mouth feel.

I also whipped up a mild miso mushroom gravy to spoon on top, and I would recommend making my maple orange cranberry sauce to serve alongside. The gravy and sauce make the perfect accompaniments.

I want this homemade “Beyond Meat” meatloaf to be something that you can make for any occasion: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, or any day that the craving arises and you want to make something extra special. Of course, it’s vegan, but I have served it to omnivores who heartily approved of it.

Given the whole foods nature of the ingredients used in my recipe, it isn’t a perfect stand-in for Beyond Meat. I am also aware that my recipe contains soy, while the original Beyond Meat does not. However, as long as you are using organic tempeh, there is nothing to be concerned about, provided that you do not have a soy allergy. Dispersed throughout an entire meatloaf, the amount of soy that you are going to be eating is quite small, even if you choose to avoid soy.

This meatloaf does come pretty close imitating ground beef, in my humble opinion. The farro, mushrooms, tempeh, and walnuts come together to resemble the gristle that you find in meat, and the seasonings provide some of the umami (that elusive fifth taste) found in meat.

This vegan meatloaf is also packed with complete protein, thanks to the tempeh, farro, and walnuts. You will not feel even remotely hungry after a thick slice of this satisfying main dish, especially when you serve it with a few side dishes, such as mashed sweet potato and some type of raw or cooked green.

how to make homemade “beyond meat” meatloaf:

You’ll start by combining crumbled organic tempeh and farro in a bowl. Mash together using a potato masher, then add walnuts, mushrooms, shredded beets, oat flour, ground flax, garlic, tamari, nutritional yeast, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, barbecue sauce, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, vegan Mayonnaise, and vegan butter. (The only brand of vegan butter that I use is Miyoko’s European Style Cultured Vegan Butter because it is made with organic, whole ingredients and it is palm oil and soybean oil-free. I highly recommend using it if you are able to find it. If not, I would recommend using extra virgin olive oil in its place, rather than any other vegan butter.) Give it a good stir, then transfer it into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper to allow for easy lift out after cooking.

Bake it for one hour, then let it sit for at least 30 minutes before slicing. (I was impatient initially and sliced into it prematurely. While it still tasted good, it really needs time to firm up and allow for easy slicing.)

To make the miso mushroom gravy, you’ll saute some onion, garlic, and mushrooms, then add vegetable broth, flour, salt, pepper, chickpea miso, nutritional yeast, and apple cider vinegar. Blend in a blender, transfer back into a pot, and keep it warm on the stove until ready to serve. The gravy is highly addictive, and I have a feeling that it would be amazing on sweet potato oven fries, too.

A few final notes:

This recipe calls for cooked farro. You will need to cook it before you can start this recipe. I cooked 1 cup of dry farro with 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt for 30 minutes and drained the excess water. This will give you more than you need for the recipe, but you can store leftovers in the fridge for future salads, bowls, etc.

All told, this is an incredibly easy recipe to make. You don’t even need any fancy equipment- not even a food processor! All that you need is a loaf pan. And if you need to make a soy-free or gluten-free version, see my notes at the bottom of the recipe.

At the end of the day, I want my recipes to be accessible by everyone, and I want to be making your life better in some way. So please let me know how you liked this version of homemade “Beyond Meat!” Leave a comment and rating below, and tag a photo of your homemade “Beyond Meat” meatloaf @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen on Instagram! I’d love to see your recreations.

And, because I know you are probably dying to know: Yes, I think this recipe would make amazing burger patties, too! Feel free to let me know if you end up taking that route. 🙂

Enjoy, all!

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I look forward to sharing a couple of healthy treat recipes with you in the next couple of days. Til then, I hope you have fun with this recipe.

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