Meatless Monday Mushroom Loaf

You won't have to do a lot of arm twisting to get the carnivores in your house to love this take on "meatloaf". Loaded with vegies, this rich tasting riff on the traditional loaf will have everyone asking for seconds!

You'll need:
For the Loaf
1 large red bell pepper or a roasted red pepper from jar
1 3/4 lbs. cremini mushrooms
2T. Olive oil
1c. Asparagus spears cut into 1" slices
1/2 c. Sweet onion finely chopped
1c. Toasted panko
1c. Chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 c. Oatmeal {quick cooking}
2T. Chopped basil
1T ketchup or barbecue sauce
1t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. Kosher salt
1/2 t. Freshly ground pepper
2 large, lightly beaten eggs
Cooking Spray
For the Topping
2 T. Ketchup or barbecue sauce
1 T. Water or vegetable broth
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 ounces freshly grated parmigiana cheese

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Cut red pepper in half lengthwise and discard seeds and remove the membranes. Place pepper skin side up on baking sheet lined with foil and cut slits in pepper so it lies flat. Broil until charred, approx. 10 minutes. Place in a paper bag- seal top and let steam for about 10 minutes. Peel skin off and finely chop. Set aside in large bowl. Alternatively, you can blacken the outside of the skins on a gas cook top or grill directly on the flame.
3. Reduce the oven to 350.
4. Place one quarter of the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 10 times until they are uniform and finely chopped. Transfer to another bowl. Repeat 3 more times.
5. Heat non-stick skillet and add olive oil to coat pans.
6. Add mushrooms to pan and cook for about 10 minutes until most of  the liquid is absorbed. The oatmeal and bread crumbs will work the rest, leaving it nice and moist. Transfer to bowl with peppers.
7. Add onion to pan, cook for a few minutes and then add asparagus, cooking until just tender. Add to mushroom mixture.
8. Arrange breadcrumbs and walnuts on a baking sheet. Toast until golden, but be careful not to burn.
9. Let cool and put walnuts into food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. You don't want any large pieces. They should be pretty fine.
10. Add breadcrumbs, walnuts and next ingredients through eggs to mushroom mixture and mix well.
11. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray and press mushroom mixture into pan, putting pressure on loaf with spatula. This will help hold the loaf together when you cut it.
12. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
13. Remove and top with sauce of ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and broth. Sprinkle top with Parmigiana cheese and bake for additional 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

This recipe was featured in the March 2012 Cooking Light and I have made a few adaptions.