Soup Day 1
I didn’t set out to make a lentil “meat”loaf, it kind of just happened.
I’d never made anything with lentils before and the soup recipe I stumbled upon looked so good with tender chunks of carrots swimming around in it I just had to give it a try. And it was so good! I was surprised my guys ate it, given that it was something they considered “healthy.”
The next day I wanted it for lunch, but when I took the lid off
Day 2 Lentil Mush
the pot it had turned from brothy goodness to thick non-soupiness overnight in the fridge.
I’d been exploring a cool cooking website called Savvy Vegetarian (even though I’m not one) and found a recipe for Heaven’s Banquet Classic Lentil Loaf. I looked in my pot, examined the recipe, and thought, what the heck. I can do this!
I turned my oven to 375 degrees then started adding what I thought would make a great vegetarian meatless meatloaf. I didn’t follow the recipe directions exactly…okay, not at all. I figured I had about 8 cups of thick soup to work with so here’s what I added to it:
Success!
1 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. mustard
2 cans whole kernal corn, drained well
A few dashes of A1 & Heinz 57 sauce
2 cups of quick cook oats (and then some until the mixture felt like the consistency of regular meatloaf before cooked)
Spray a 9×13 or larger baking dish with cooking oil like Pam, dump the mixture into the dish and pat it down. Cover the top with a thin layer of ketchup. Bake for 1.5 to 2 hours until the loaf is set and cuts like a regular meatloaf would.
It was so good that my husband said he’d want it again. That means something in this house when I’m whipping up strange new culinary delights. 
And my guys ate all the leftovers!
So, if you want to try any one of the lentil loaf recipes found on the Internet, or the one from Savvy Vegetarian, go for it. Don’t be afraid to wing it if you want to substitute ingredients, or just go solo and experiment on your own. You never know what good things your mind may conjure up! 
