Everyone needs a good meatloaf recipe up their sleeve. Especially when its cold outside and all you want is to curl up in a ball and eat comfort food (please, please tell me that’s not just me!?!).
The best way to clear the fridge of a bit of this and a cup of that? Meatloaf
When I make meatloaf I require 2 thing of it: 1. That I have enough leftovers for sandwiches the next day AND 2. That I use up as many current leftovers in the fridge while making. Both of those items together = meatloaf success.
Here are my tips for putting together a filling meatloaf FAST with whatever you have on hand.
I use a mix of Lean Ground Beef & Pork Breakfast Sausage for my meatloaf
Ingredients:
THE MEAT: 2 lbs Ground Meat – any combination of lean ground beef, ground pork, ground chicken, ground veal, ground turkey, ground bison – you get the idea.
*I like to use a combination of 1 lb 85/15 Grass Fed Ground Beef & 1 lb Bulk Pork Breakfast Sausage – the grass fed beef is flavorful and the pork adds instant seasoning and enough fat to bring out the other flavors.
All the veggies. All of them (with some mustard to round it out
THE AROMATICS: 1/2 Sweet Onion + Minced Garlic – or shallots, or green onions, or red onions. Rough chopped, sautéed briefly in olive oil or butter – just enough that they soften slightly. Nothing is worse than raw onions in cooked meatloaf.
THE VEGGIES: 1 – 1 1/2 cups Rough Chopped, Cooked Vegetables – you want them to be no larger than 1/4 inch cubes. Shredded works great. Diced? Perfect. Hacked to bits? Just Fine. Use a blend. If they are already cooked you don’t need to cook them before they go in the meatloaf – they are already soft.
*I do weekly meal prepping, so this is a great opportunity to use up any remnants of roasted vegetables I have sitting around.
I’ve used any combination of these:
- Roasted Tomatos
- Cooked Squash – Butternut is particularly good
- Sautéed Mushrooms
- Cooked Greens
- Roasted Carrots or Celery or Cauliflower or Broccoli
- Baked Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes – cubed small
- Bell Peppers
- Roasted Garlic
I like to mix all my non-meat ingredients together first – before I add the meat.
THE BINDERS: 1 Egg + 1/4 cup Bread Crumbs OR 1/2 cup Cooked Rice OR Crushed Saltines OR Tomato Paste OR Raw Oats OR Grated Raw Potato + A splash of Water or Broth
THE SEASONINGS: Always add Salt & Pepper. Always.
You can use any combination / version of the seasonings and toppings here – whatever you have on hand.
Italian: Oregano & Rosemary + Garlic & Celery Salt. Top with a pasta sauce
Mexican: Use bulk fresh chorizo in place of 1 lb of meat. Add dried jalapeños, cumin, smoked paprika and chili powder. Top with a mayo & adobo sauce.
Asian: Chinese 5 Spice Powder, Green Onions, Ginger, Chiles. Top with Plum Sauce or Hoisin Sauce
American: Garlic, Worcestershire Sauce, Thyme, Celery Salt, Paprika. Top with Ketchup mixed with a little grainy Mustard.
Fresh Sage is always my secret
THE WOW FACTOR: Some add-ins to make it all sing! Add chopped parsley or celery leaves. A squeeze of anchovy paste will define you (trust me). Why not truffle butter? A little maple syrup is a nice secret. Chopped sauerkraut would be a win. Cubed hard boiled egg, because. Horseradish (or even horseradish mustard) for the win. Got Espresso Powder? Liquid Smoke is underrated (but only use a dash). Fresh Herbs = heaven.
Not a Recipe: Meatloaf; Look Ma! No recipe needed!
Method:
Mix everything together in a big bowl. Mix with your hands – it works best. This is a no wedding ring recipe (just take it off for now).
I am a big believer in a free form meatloaf – no loaf pan here! Dump everything from your big bowl onto a large baking sheet line with foil. Form it more or less into a loaf the size of a football. It should be about 2 inches thick.
Put it into an oven preheated to 350 for 40 minutes. You’ll pull it out quickly at this point & slather on the topping, increase the heat to 400 and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature is 160.
Lydia, meatloaf wingwoman
