This Vegan Chickpea Meatloaf with Italian spices was a hit with the vegetarians at summer camp. They loved it, and I think you will too.

Vegan Meatloaf with Italian Spices is scrumptious.
This Vegan Chickpea "Meatloaf" (Italian Spices)
Finally! A vegan meatloaf with a good texture. The subtle Italian spicing adds a robust flavor that goes well with a baked potato and a side vegetable. The topping is similar to Mom's Meatloaf. This comfort food recipe is sure to become one of your menu mainstays.
The original recipe came from Connoisseurusveg.com. I found the original recipe to be good, but I didn't like the texture and felt it needed more spices. Nevertheless, when I made it for our camp's staff and counselors just the way that Connoisseurus Veg wrote it, they loved it.
And they loved it even more when I made it with Italian spices. Do you think they are just easy to please? I don't. It's delicious.
What You Need
For this recipe you need a knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, and a food processor, as well as an oblong loaf pan. But what you really want are some terrific dishes, stemware, and kitchen tools, am I right?

Vegan Chickpea Meatloaf with Italian Spices Recipe
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 medium onion (chopped fine)
- 2 celery stalks (chopped fine)
- 2 carrots (peeled and diced)
- 1 pound white button mushrooms (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced, or ½ teaspoon minced garlic)
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs (gluten free)
- 3 tablespoons Vegan Worchestershire Sauce (FYI, normal Worchestershire sauce contains fish)
- 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce (Tamari is generally gluten free)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (or 2 eggs if not needing vegan)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Topping
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
Instructions
Prepare the Chickpea Loaf
- Heat oven to 350F degrees.
- Spray a standard loaf pan with oil and set it aside.
- Mix all the ingredients for the meatloaf (not the sauce) in a large bowl until blended well.
- Working in small batches, transfer the meatloaf mixture to your food processor and pulse until the chickpeas are broken up but not smushy.
- As you complete each batch, scrape it into the loaf pan. Continue until all the chickpea mixture is processed.
- Press the mixture to compress in the loaf pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake the chickpea loaf for 40 minutes.
Prepare the sauce
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients until smooth.
- When the chickpea loaf has baked 40 minutes, remove it from the oven and spread the sauce evenly on top of it. Bake another 25 minutes. Watch it to make sure the top doesn't burn. If it starts to look crusty around the edges, remove it from the oven.
Let Rest
- Remove the chickpea loaf from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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