After chopping the onion, he’d mix everything together except the tomato sauce and make two loaves. He’d cook it in the oven (although I don’t remember at what temperature or for how long) and about half an hour before it was done he’d pour a six-ounce can of Hunts tomato sauce over each loaf. Typically, we’d have au gratin potatoes (out of a box) and some green veggies (out of the freezer) with it. (Dad was big on convenience foods.)
We’d be eating meat loaf for days! I’ve never found meat loaf I like as much. (Although the physiological effects of the dehydrated onions in the soup mix required good ventilation.)
There must be a meat loaf recipe that has been the best you’ve ever eaten. What is it?
Mix everything together until it forms a slightly soupy mixture. Put in loaf pan and bake at 400 degrees for approx. 50 minutes, or until top is slightly crusty. Gravy will form around the edges as it cooks, spoon this over the meatloaf when you serve it.
The key is to lay strips of fatty bacon over the top of the loaf before cooking. This keeps the loaf nice and moist. And the best part is that this high concentration of fat will kill you before you’re done eating, therefore getting you out of doing the dishes!
In this thread I talked about a recent visit to Trader Joe’s. One of the things I bought was two pounds of ground buffalo. I thought it was a box of patties, but it turned out to be a chub. I had two buffalo burgers yesterday, but there was still a lot of meat left. So naturally, I made meatloaf!
Starting with over half a kilo of bison flesh I added two eggs, a cup of bread crumbs that I’ve been wondering what to do with, a packet of not-Lipton onion soup mix, about 3/4 cup of water, and some Italian seasonings. I baked it in the oven for an hour at 350°F, putting catsup on top for the last 10 minutes.
How is it? Not bad at all! Not as good as dad’s, but pretty tasty. And probably healthier for the buffalo meat than it would be with deadcow.
This recipe site has the recipe for Bill Blass’s meatloaf. It was published in his memoir (released after his death) fairly recently, but I clipped it about 15 years ago from a Vanity Fair interview with Mr. Blass. It’s become a huge favorite in our house, and I like to call it “Designerloaf.”
For the non-veal eaters, I’ve substituted more sirloin for the veal, and it’s still great.
A classic wacky meatloaf serving suggestion is to make it in a bundt pan, and then serve it with the center hole filled up with mashed potatoes.
I was craving meatloaf and made one today. The best part is, no one in my family will eat it, so, more for me!
I am always experimenting with mine, and today’s came out pretty tasty. I have always added Stove Top Stuffing to the mix, and thought I was a genius for doing so. Thanks pezboy2u for bursting that little fantasy.
Besides the stuffing mix, added finely chopped onion, parsley, chopped celery and 2 eggs, then cooked for 1.5 hours at 350 degrees, then topped with one can tomato soup mixed with 3 tablespoons brown sugar.
I make it off-the-cuff without a recipe, but it’s something like this:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 T minced garlic
Herbs (oregano, parsley, rosemary, kinda whatever I grab)
Salt
Wortchestershire or bbq sauce (couple tablespoons)
Small can of tomato sauce
1 egg
I mash all that together, put it into a pan (experiment with adding in tomato sauce until the right consistency is achieved), then slather ketchup over the top, and cook at 350 for, I dunno, until done.
Meat loaf is almost impossible to screw up. For “everyday” meatloaf, I pretty much follow the recipe on the back of the Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix packet, but I use 1/2 pork and 1/2 beef, and also add grated carrot (just one) and a tablespoon of mustard. Then I spread ketchup & mustard over the top during the last couple minutes of baking.
I also make an “Italian” meatloaf, which is your basic Italian meatball recipe, formed into a loaf and baked. I serve that with spaghetti sauce on top. Makes the BEST open-face sammiches if you melt some mozzarella on it!
You guys inspired me, so I made a meatloaf tonight. My mom always used Pepperidge Farm stuffing, but I wanted to try my own recipe. Keep in mind I like all my food spicy.
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
1 packet onion soup mix (some store brand)
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs (I used the Vigo brand, with romano cheese)
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup blend of ketchup, BBQ sauce (Pat’s Ho-Made), red chipotle sauce, worcestershire sauce, and Sriracha chili sauce (can be found at Asian grocery stores in big plastic squeeze bottles; very good)
Mixed all that together, shaped into a loaf, and covered it with more of the sauce blend. Then I baked for an hour at 350 degrees.
It came out very soft and easily crumbled. I was hoping for a stronger consistency. But it didn’t dry out (my biggest fear), and it was delicious. In retrospect, I would have been a little more daring with spices, and also added some garlic and fresh onion. But I got potato rolls to make sandwiches for the next couple days, and it’ll be perfect comfort food for during final exams.
I’ve made one a few times that is any recipe you like with the addition of chunky all fruit apricot jam(jelly) to the meatloaf mix. More is spread over the top during the last half hour of cooking to create a glaze. Makes it moist and sweet and popular with kids. Great cold in sandwiches with chili sauce.
This is a bit of an unusual meatloaf recipe. A flat shape. No bread filler. And the topping is rather unique:
INGREDIENTS
1 lb 80% lean ground beef
1 large egg
Your favorite vegetables… such as:
Celery
Onions
Green, Red, and Yellow Bell Peppers
etc.
Topping
1/2 cup molassis
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 cup mustard
1 tbsp melted butter
PREPERATION
Preheat oven to 350. Chop vegetables into small cubes.
Work egg thoroughly into ground beef. Add vegetables a little at a time, distributing them well, until loaf volume is large enough to fill a 9 x 11 cake pan. (If possible, use an aluminum foil pan with holes punctured in bottom to drain grease.)
Stir topping ingredients until well blended, and pour topping liberally over loaf.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until topping has carmelized. Let set 10 minutes on cooling rack before cutting into squares and serving.
