This is a vegan meat-free loaf that is delicious served hot or cold.
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees, get out two loaf pans.
Bring lentils to a boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook until water is mostly absorbed and lentils are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and mash a little bit.
In a large pan, cook onions until tender (add a splash of veggie broth, water or wine to deglaze the pan when/if the onions start to stick and brown).
Add mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook and deglaze the pan until mushrooms are tender.
Add mashed lentils to the pan and mix thoroughly.
Add spinach and stir to incorporate evenly.
Stir in tomatoes (with the juice from the can) and spices.
Turn off the heat and add the oats and combine completely.
Spoon half of the barbecue sauce into the bottom of the loaf pans (dividing it between the two pans) and evenly divide the veggie mixture between the two pans.
Top each loaf with the divided remainder of barbecue sauce.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 50-60 minutes or until the barbecue sauce gets crispy around the edges.
Remove from the oven and let rest on a rack for about 15 minutes.
Slice with a spatula and serve.
This loaf is even better the second day. It slices nicely and is good cold as well as re-heated.
Some people have baked this in a shallow casserole dish with success. It just depends on the size/shape that you want. I like it in two loaf pans so that I can cut it in slices for cold sandwiches.