Cottage Cheese Roast (Vegetarian Meatloaf)

"Great vegetarian comfort food! Don't be fooled by the ingredients; the flavor is very much like meatloaf. Kitchen alchemy at its finest!"
 
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photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Kathy228 photo by Kathy228
photo by jatlanta75 photo by jatlanta75
photo by Reggie's Mom photo by Reggie's Mom
photo by hisfavoritemavis photo by hisfavoritemavis
Ready In:
1hr 20mins
Ingredients:
7
Serves:
8
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ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) carton cottage cheese
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 14 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 1 12 - 2 12 cups corn flakes (I use Special K Whole Grain)
  • 14 cup chopped onion
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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Grease a loaf pan.
  • In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, vegetable oil, soup mix, walnuts, cereal and onion.
  • Spoon into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.
  • Let the 'roast' rest for 5 to 10 minutes; turn out onto serving platter.

Questions & Replies

  1. I have a feeling I already know the answer to this, but does it freeze well? I’m thinking no, but it would be great if it did. It’s just me in my household and I know there’s no way I’ll be able to finish this off before it goes bad.
     
  2. Can you reduce the amount of onion soup mix you use to make it more heart healthy? (Less salt)
     
  3. How do you know when it's done
     
  4. Have you tried freezing ahead? Does it freeze well?
     
  5. Love the recipe as is, but any suggestion on what I can use in place of the walnuts to make it nut-free for those with allergies? Thanks!
     
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Reviews

  1. First of all let me say that I AM NOT a vegetarian. But this is a really great tasting vegetarian loaf!! I did make quite a few substitutions due to other reviews and am listing as someone might find something useful. For the cup of walnuts I used 1/4 cup of walnuts finely chopped, about 1/3 cup of ground flax seed and finished the cup with wheat bran. I didn't have any Special K and used ground, high protein, whole wheat bread crumbs (2 cups). For extra flavor I added ketchup (about 1/3 cup), worchestershire sauce (1- 2 Tablespoons), garlic, parsley, salt and chervil. Did not use any of the vegetable oil as there is enough oil in the walnuts and ground flax seed. No need to add extra fat and calories. The eggs hold this loaf together wonderfully. Baked in mini loaf pans for about 40 minutes and topped with more ketchup. Absolutely outstanding flavor, moist and just as good if not better than any meat loaf I've ever made! You can be sure I'll be making this again and again. I served this with steamed asparagus and cheesy mashed potatoes. Thanks so much for posting Connie.
     
  2. In short: this meatloaf is AMAZING. Go make it now. Stop reading reviews, don't even bother to get out of your pjs, just leave the house and run to the store now to make this.<br/><br/>This will now be a permanent part of our frequent dinners rotation. To die for delicious vegetarian meatloaf. Tastes just like the meatloaf I remember from childhood, but without that meaty-gross aftertaste. WOW. THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!
     
  3. I was very eager to try out this recipe, and wanted so badly to like it. I made it as written, but could not eat it. Let me just say that the consistency was pretty accurate, though obviously true meatloaf will be firmer. The flavor was entirely lacking, with the exception of a ketchup-based glaze I made on the top. If I were ever to take another crack at this recipe, here is what I would do: 1) follow another poster's suggestion to use Stove Top stuffing in lieu of the corn flakes 2) add more finely chopped onion and put in chopped bell pepper as well and 3) make sure those walnuts are ground to oblivion. Hope this is helpful, as it is intended to be!
     
  4. like everyone has said, it's an impressive approximation of meatloaf.<br/>and yes, it all seems an odd fit and you don't think it looks right when you put it in the oven, but it is!<br/><br/>if you're making your own spice mix, 1oz = 2T, though keep in mind 2T of say, cayenne, will not be pleasant.<br/><br/>i'm not really a fan of the medley texture, so really mincing the nuts to keep the different textures down, helps me.
     
  5. My mom made meatloaf with ground beef, eggs, and bread crumbs. Then she topped it with tomato sauce. It was the sort of food I remember fondly to this day, mashed potatoes and peas on the side. Growing boy sort of stuff. I've tried to make mom's meatloaf plenty of times for my kids and it's always (probably what it always was), greasy and dry. I like it, but they're not fans. In fact, they run from the table.<br/><br/>I'm a runner now and the one thing vegetarian fare has is runner-friendly, real food that doesn't make me bonk. THIS is my new meatloaf. It changes everything. And the crazy part is, when you mix it up in the bowl it is INCONCEIVABLE that it may become this weird sort of Zen meatloaf. It's a round-house kick to the brain. I'm looking at cottage cheese and cornflakes like, "Uhhhh, I did something wrong. MAN, I hope this one works out."<br/><br/>Made as written, with love. Wondered if I should crush the Kellog's cornflakes and didn't. Used about 3 cups. I did mash the walnuts in a bag with a tenderizer. Baked 60 minutes. Pure awesome. DO NOT TOP with creamy tomato soup, just because someone says so. Love it anyways. And absolutely do not top with ketchup as a last resort. Then you have what McDonald's would make if they ever made meatloaf. In fact, my mother said this reminded her of a McRib. That was weird.<br/><br/>Thank you!
     
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Tweaks

  1. Add a cup of ground pecans!
     
  2. I've made this recipe before, my family loves it. This time I made it, I sauteed the onions and also sauteed red pepper to go in it. We had some leftover smoked garlic and I added that as well as some fresh chopped parsley.
     
  3. Instead of cereal I use stove top herb stuffing. I give it a quick blitz in the food processor with the nuts, and the texture is more meat-like.
     
  4. For my third Cottage Cheese Roast I added some chopped and browned mushrooms which I added to the browned cereal mixture I use in place of the walnuts, and I also added some chopped fresh onion. Instead of a cup of crushed cornflakes, I used a cup of matzo meal. This time, I also managed to remember the oil. I made a mushroom-onion gravy to go with it and it turned out really well. It had an even better texture the next day-it has the texture of real meatloaf, and a very nice taste. I think I have it tweaked to right where I want it to be. Slices reheat very well in a non-stick skillet. See original review and 10/5/20 tweak for full details.
     
  5. Instead of walnuts, use a 1:1 mix of Rice Krispies and crushed Special-K, and add a dab of ground flaxseed. Brown the cereal in a non-stick skillet for added flavor. For half a roast, I did a 1/4 cup of each, and just sprinkled a bit of flaxseed on top. It will work without oil-I simply forgot it. I didn't add the onion, as I used a recipe in a cottage cheese cookbook I have. The recipes are the same, except there are no onions in the one from the cookbook. I also used crushed cornflakes, and for 1/2 of a roast, I used 1/2 cup. I didn't want to use whole cornflakes, but next time, I may, and could also add more onion. My college made the best meatloaf I have ever had and it was very oniony. I have never been able to duplicate it.
     

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