I couldn’t help myself from posting this meatloaf recipe today in honor of daughter Elizabeth’s 30th Birthday, since for many of those 30 years this was part of her chosen birthday dinner of Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Chocolate Cake! She is a comfort food kind of gal! And lucky for me, the meal that brought a smile to her face each year is/was super easy to prepare!
Since ground beef is the main ingredient I usually try to choose meat somewhere between 80%-85% lean. You can make it with leaner meat, but you’ll be sacrificing flavor. And you can make it with fattier meat which will gains points on the taste scale, but you’ll also notice more shrinkage in the meatloaf and lots of floating fat which could potentially gross one out. You get to choose your own meatloaf adventure ending!
Meatloaf is almost like a non-recipe recipe. You will need a couple eggs as binder and the bread crumbs as filler and to help retain some of the moisture, but beyond that pretty much everything is optional. You don’t feel like taking the time to mince onion, no problem. Ketchup not your thing? Sub in some tomato paste. No horseradish on hand? No problem. You have garlic powder, but no fresh garlic? Add about 1/8 teaspoon of the garlic powder. You’ll just want to think through the properties of the items you are omitting or substituting. For instance, if you don’t have Worcestershire, you may want to sub in some Soy for that umami flavor, or simply add a bit more salt as Worcestershire is pretty salty. Remember, this is meatloaf, yummy, comforting and super forgiving!
Once you’ve assembled your ingredients, simply put them into a large bowl and literally mix together by hand. This may make some squeamish, but I’ve always found literal hand mixing the easiest way to gently combine all the ingredients. And gentle mixing is the key here! Over-mixing the ingredients will lead to a tougher meat loaf.
When the ingredients are thoroughly combined, dump them into a loaf pan and gently press the meat into the pan. Again, gently patting the meat in place is the key. Over-compressing the meat will lead to a denser loaf that is more likely to dry out while cooking. Once the meatloaf is formed, it has always seemed mandatory to score the top of the loaf with a fork….I have no idea where this comes from, but I’m not sure I can actually put my meatloaf in the oven without performing this last step!
Yayyyyy! After 10, maybe 15 minutes of prep time, your meatloaf is now oven ready! How easy is that?
Elizabeth’s Gluten Free Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Ground Beef 85%-90% lean
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Scant Cup Gluten Free Panko/Bread Crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1 Teaspoon Horseradish
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- 1/4 Cup Onion, minced
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper, ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large glass bowl and literally mix by hand.
- Dump meat mixture into a loaf pan (9"x5"x2.5"), gently pat the meat mixture into the pan. Score top with fork if desired.
- Bake at 350° for about an hour. You will know the meatloaf is done when the juices are bubbling and the internal temperature is 155°-160°F.
- Allow the meatloaf to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.