I love meatloaf, I really do. I get meatloaf at school, restaurants, anywhere that has it. I would love to make myself some, but I am a horrible cook.
How do I make meatloaf? Is there a fool proof recipe? Tricks?
Thanks!
Here you go. You can never go wrong with Alton Brown.
I don’t have a specific recipe. All I do is mix some ground meats (beef, pork, veal), add some veggies, spices, herbs, an egg, and some bread crumbs/stale bread soaked in milk or–here’s a tip I learned from my dad–mashed potatoes. The bread crumbs or potatoes help keep the loaf moist and soft.
Typical herbs and spices that go well with meat loaf: thyme, pepper, hot pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, etc. Worcestershire sauce is almost a must, as well. I generally am very wary of Worcestershire, as it tends to overpower many foods, but for meatloaf or Shepherd’s Pie, it’s pretty much required.
You can also throw in a bunch of veggie goodness into it as well. Look at Alton Brown’s recipe for inspiration.
Look for the meatloaf recipe on the Lipton Onion soup mixes. It’s what I’ve always preferred.
Here is a nice short piece where Alton Brown explains how it all works and what things wreck a meatloaf.
Do a quick Google search for Pat Nixon’s meatloaf recipe.
I follow this one, substituting ketchup for the tomato paste.
First, you get him really drunk…
Start with half ground beef and half pork sausage from the deli.
Add a minced onion and two whole eggs, mix in a cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and a good three shakes of Worcestershire sauce and a can of tomato paste.
Mix well, frost with ketchup and bake at 350 f until the juices run clear.
One pound ground beef. One cup rolled oats. One egg. One small tin plain tomato sauce. One handful dried onion. One handful parsley. Several shakes of worcestershire sauce. Plenty of salt and pepper.
Mix with hands (this is important).
Bake for an hour or more at 350 on one of those broiling pans that keeps the meatloaf out of its drippings.
I think oats add a bland influence and rice is much better; also, the drippings add something special; but I’ll see you your Worcestershire and parsley.
Some recipes call for adding Stouffer’s Stove Top – Make of that what you will.
If you like meatloaf, you have a bigger problem then even we can help you with.
you takin’ issue with my momma’s cookin’?
…and then invite him back to your castle, but don’t tell him you want to use half his brain…
As far as making (small m) meatloaf, it’s hard to say. There are a millon ways of making it and you just have to figure out what comes closest to the meatloaf you loved at school or where ever. Myself, I like an egg, some breadcrumbs (for texture) ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, garlic, onion flakes (I’ve actually descided I like these better than chopped fresh onions in this case…maybe it’s a matter of better distribution).
But you really have to experiment to see how your taste runs.
I’ve never heard of using Stove Top stuffing in meatloaf. I’m going to have to try that . I know it’s weird, but I love Stove Top stuffing. I guess it’s because stuffing/dressing was one of the very few thing my mother could not do well. The woman could make homemade Beef Wellington, but could not make stuffing.
I learned to cook from my mother. Not nearly as well, but, alas, I can also not make stuffing.
Now I have to go buy ingredients for a meatloaf. I already have Stove Top in the cupboard.
My favorite meat loaf: Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Cajun Meatloaf. Yes, it’s hot! But it also has a rich, complex flavor.
Tips to making a good meat loaf:
- Use more than ground beef. Ideal mix: beef (1 lb.), pork (1/2 lb.), veal (1/2 lb.).
- Don’t overmix the meat loaf. It changes the texture for the worse.
- Shape a low loaf; this helps to heat it evenly.
Thanks for the link where Alton Brown explains about meatloaf, what works and what doesn’t, Don’t Ask. I’m definitely going to try his recipe, it sounds delicious! 
My favorite is my Mom’s/Dad’s Meatloaf. Very simple, but tasty- it’s very basic, and I see no reason to change it.
2-3 lbs. hamburger
1 onion
Half a green pepper
2-4 pieces of wonder bread torn into tiny pieces
a few squirts of Ketchup
2 eggs
Combine all with hands into a homogenous loaf.
Bake at 350F for about an hour.
You can get fancy, but this does it for me.
Robert Fulghum gave a generic meat loaf recipe in his book “UH OH”–You take a hunk of hamburger that is going to go bad if you don’t use it now. Add some limp and/or leftover vegetables. Bind it together with something: corn flakes, leftover rice, even dirt would probably do. Add some ketchup and spices, mix up with your hands (that’s the most important part) and cook till it’s brown.
Via allrecipies dot com and Arrthur Schwartz:
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
3/4 herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
1/2 (1 ounce) package dry ranch-style salad dressing mix
1 6-ounce can French-fried onions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. (I used a fork to start, then my hands).
Gather the meat and plop it into a small, shallow baking dish (I used a 7 by 11-inch, 2-quart pyrex), shaping it into a mounded loaf.
Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.