Vegan Bavarian Meatloaf

In my family, it's a tradition to eat Bavarian meatloaf (so-called “Leberkäse”) with sauerkraut on New Year's Day. Unfortunately, I never liked the meatloaf that much. For me, it was all about the sauerkraut. My family has a superstition that it will help your finances to eat loads of sauerkraut on the first day of the year. Good thing for me that my plate is exclusively filled with sauerkraut every year. But from now on, I'm going to change that. I've been testing my vegan meatloaf for a loooong time, and I am finally at the point where everyone in the office is pleased with the recipe - even the former meatloaf lovers. Yay!

There aren't many vegan recipes for vegan meatloaf, but in most recipes, the main ingredient is tofu. I wanted to change that. First, I had to research how to make a traditional meatloaf. A few videos and recipes later, here's what I found out: According to Wikipedia, meatloaf is made of lean pork, bacon, or beef. The meat is heavily minced (chopped) and seasoned with pickling salt, pepper, mace, coriander, and ginger—the seasoning varies from recipe to recipe. So much for the theory; now it's time to veganize it.
As a meat substitute, I opt for vegan ground beef. Next, we have to add some spices. I created a special spice mix that everyone in the office was very pleased with. As always, you can adjust the seasoning to taste. The original meatloaf often contains curing salt, which gives it a reddish color. We substitute it with a few drops of beetroot juice. After blending everything, I pressed the mixture through a sieve to achieve the typical soft texture, but it's not a must.

There are loads of suitable side dishes for a german meatloaf: vegan potato salad, vegan fried eggs, or sauerkraut. You can also serve it in a bun with coleslaw, radishes, and mustard. Either way, it will taste fantastic!