Meatloaf??

[daniellecharmaine]

I am a beginning cook. I was wondering if anyone had some easy recipes for making a great meatloaf or just some quick tips? Pleas and Thank You!!

 

[joesfolk]

Quick tip...put a tiny bit of nutmeg in your meatloaf. It really enhances the flavor of any meat I use. I never make the same meatloaf twice but nutmeg always gets added.

 

[Andy M.]

There are as many meatloaf recipes as there are cooks. Some folks use just ground beef. Others use some combination of beef, pork, veal, turkey, chicken.

In general meatloaf should contain one or more eggs to act as a binder to hold the loaf together and breadcrumbs, oatmeal, etc. to give it the right texture and absorb some of the liquids.

Seasonings, herbs, spices, cheese, BACON!, and some type of tomato sauce are often used.

I'd bet there are hundreds of meatloaf recipes on this site to choose from.

Here's a recipe to get you started:

MEAT LOAF

1 Onion
2-3 Garlic
⅓-½ Green Bell Pepper
4 Mushrooms
½ tsp Thyme, dry
¼ C Parsley (2 Tb dry)
⅓ C Romano Cheese, grated
2 Lb Ground Beef (85-88% lean)1
½ Tb Salt
⅛ tsp Black Pepper
⅔ C Bread Crumbs
1 Ea Egg
¼ C Ketchup
1 Tb Soy Sauce
⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper



Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Place the first seven ingredients into a food processor and process until almost pureed.

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl; add the vegetable mixture from the food processor and the remaining ingredients.

Thoroughly combine the ingredients.

Pack the mixture into a loaf pan to shape the meat.

Cover a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper.

Invert the loaf pan onto the sheet pan and unmold the meat loaf.

Insert a thermometer probe into the center of the loaf and set to 155º F.

Bake until the set temperature is achieved, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Remove the meat from the oven and rest it, covered, for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

NOTE: You may use a combination of ground beef, pork, veal or lamb.

 

[Alix]

I'm with Andy on the BACON!

I like to add a couple of eggs and either breadcrumbs or crushed crackers to my meat. Then I spread cooked bacon, and a layer of cheddar on it. I roll it up like a jellyroll and bake it in a loaf pan in the oven. MMMMMM!

 

[4meandthem]

I never really liked meatloaf untill a roomate and his wife strted making one that was heavy with sage!
Rocked my world with with both Meatloaf and Sage!

 

[Selkie]

I think of a meatloaf as I would a stew... anything I have handy, especially leftovers, can go into it, making a particular recipe nearly impossible.

Andy is right in that once you learn the basics of meat, eggs, bread (crackers, crumbs, oatmeal, shredded bread, etc.) and a few seasonings (to taste) you can make it anyway you like.

My personal additions are usually:
celery salt
Worcestershire sauce
Lots of garlic
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

Just remember to have fun with it!

 

[Matt Kay]

Follow something along the lines of Andy's recipe above.

The egg will hold it together. However, my tip:

Once all of the ingredients are incorporated add a little milk to thin it until it just barely stands on it's own without "flowing" into the shape of the pan.

When you have eggs and a ton of moisture in the meatloaf it will be firm but super moist and most excellent.

Cheers!

 

[luvs]

i get burger w/ a mid-point fat content, & then an egg, herb-seasoned italian crumbs, tomato sauce, a nominal amount of creme, herbs, seasalt, pepper, worcestershire, diced onion, minced garlic,& steak sauce, then fold/combine those; after my loaf is made, i squeeze on kep-utch, then cook @ 'bout 350. in that interim, cook potato & veggies & that, salad, that kinda food~

 

[Barbara L]

My basic meatloaf (I do add other things occasionally) is ground beef, egg, canned milk, chopped onion, and uncooked oatmeal. I usually add garlic, and sometimes other spices. I have tried other meatloaf recipes, but this has always been my favorite. The only thing that makes it even better is to use ground buffalo instead of ground beef--low cholesterol and no shrinkage. When I make it from buffalo I call it Buffaloaf.

Barbara

 

[legend_018]

I've followed many recipes and have thrown the basics together on my own too. i recently tried this one and it was VERY GOOD.

It's from Pioneer women. I didn't make the sauce and used bbq sauce instead.

My Favorite Meatloaf | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond

This one is unique and pretty good too. http://eatloveandtrain.blogspot.com/2009/06/mediterranean-meatloaf.html
My friend Galya is awesome!

 

[Andy M.]

Follow something along the lines of Andy's recipe above.

The egg will hold it together. However, my tip:

Once all of the ingredients are incorporated add a little milk to thin it until it just barely stands on it's own without "flowing" into the shape of the pan.

When you have eggs and a ton of moisture in the meatloaf it will be firm but super moist and most excellent.

Cheers!

In my recipe, putting the veggies in the FP releases more moisture into the mix so moisture is never an issue unless you way overcook it.