Ingredients

  • SAUCE
  • 1 (6 ounce) can salt-free tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • TOFU AND LENTIL FILLING
  • 1 (17 ounce) package firm tofu
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (approx)
  • 1 cup lentils (regular brown lentils)
  • BINDERS
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (2 slices of bread if you want to grate your own)
  • 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 small, or half of 1 large)
  • 2 egg whites

Method

  • Combine tomato paste, water, wine, garlic, basil, oregano, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and and reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, then set aside.
  • Wash and sort through the lentils, removing any sticks, pebbles, etc. and bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Lower the heat and cook the lentils, loosely covered, for about 20 minutes or until soft but not disintegrating. Drain any excess water.
  • While the lentils are cooking, make the tofu "ground beef" by draining it very well and drying it off with paper towels, then (here comes the fun part), smash it into a bunch of pieces, so it has a ground beef or scrambled egg like consistency.
  • Mix the tofu pieces in a bowl with the pepper (I just shake some on, roughly 1/2 tsp), olive oil, and soy sauce. Brown in a frying pan/skillet for a couple minutes until it somewhat resembles ground beef and let cool for a few minutes.
  • Combine the cooked lentils, crumbled and cooked tofu, breadcrumbs, zucchini, egg whites, and about 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in a large bowl and mix well.
  • Shape the mixture into a loaf and place into an ungreased 9 x 5 loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.
  • Pour the remaining tomato sauce mix over the top of the loaf, and bake for another 15 minutes.
  • Place onto a serving plate and let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into 8 slices and serving.