ISO - Best meatloaf recipe you know

[choc0sweet]

my mom loves meatloaf. so i thought why not try a recipe. the thing is i dont have a loaf pan. do i really need one?? and... there are so many recipes i found online. and theyre all SOOO different. post the best one that you know. THANKS~

 

[christy]

Hi choco...
here's one I made up since I didn't like my dads...I don't measure anything ..I just eyeball to what I think is a good amount...

Hamburger meat 1 or 2 eggs
seasoning salt pepper
garlic salt Worcestershire Sauce
Instant potatos Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese
tabacso sauce

Put the Hamburger in a bowl add seasoning salt, garlic salt, pepper, tabasco sauce, eggs. Then add instant potatos and worcestershire to make the desired consitency. I put have down in pan then add some cheese on top...then put the other half of meat on top of cheese.
Bake at 350* until it looks done about 35 minutes to an hour...

How much hamburger I use is what determines how much of the other ingredients I use is....

Hope you like it if you try it...let me know....

 

[Barbara L]

Hi ChocOsweet,

No, you do not need a loaf pan.

My mom's meat loaf was the best I have ever had. Whenever I make it everyone raves about it. I don't really measure either.

1 1/2 to 2 pounds ground beef (ground buffalo is wonderful for this--I call it "Buffaloaf"!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 egg
approx. 1/4 cup canned evaporated milk
a couple good-sized handfuls of uncooked oatmeal
salt and pepper to taste (I omit the salt, actually)

Mix all ingredients well (You're going to have to get your hands messy to do this right!). Form into a loaf. Bake at 350 degrees about an hour. You can play with it and add things for variety, such as cheese in the middle, or mushrooms. My mom put a big dill pickle in the middle once!

If you have any leftovers, this makes great meatloaf sandwiches. I like it best cold, with Miracle Whip, ketchup, and dill pickle slices. Yum!

Barbara

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

Christy that sounds GREAT!!!!!!! I like the spice ya put in there and the instant potato mix sounds like a good idea. I usually cook mine like Barbara, but without the oatmeal. I usually put in romano cheese and lots of cracked pepper. I wonder how it would taste with the oatmeal.

 

[christy]

I was thinking of trying the oatmeal..I hear of more people who are doing that...Do you mix the romano cheese all through it or just put it in the middle. I am very picky so to eat a lot of items i had to come up with my own versions...

Christy

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

I mix it through out the meatloaf. I will use other hard cheeses too. Parmesan and the like.

 

[Barbara L]

The oatmeal helps bind it together, like bread crumbs (which a lot of people use), but it makes it firmer than bread crumbs, in my opinion.

Barbara

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

Im thinking it sucks up the fat which in turn gives it more flavor! What do ya think???

 

[Dina]

I never use oatmeal in mine, but eggs to bind it.

2 pounds ground beef (85% lean)
2 eggs
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
salt & pepper
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until they're well combined. Form a loaf and place on a greased baking shallow baking pan, or in a greased loaf pan. I usually line the bottom of my loaf pan with parchment paper so nothing will stick at the bottom. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

Dina

 

[kitchenelf]

I know I have posted this somewhere here before - but my son decided for awhile that he didn't like meatloaf - BUT he liked meatballs.....so I just used the recipe for meatballs on the can of Progresso or the one on another bread crumb box and I just make a meatloaf out of it - it's pretty good!!!!

 

[tancowgirl2000]

I wanna make a meat loaf for supper tonight. Thing is I want something off the wall.....with a bang...or something. I usually use eggs, ,crackers, garlic, oregano, seasoning salt. I like Sushi's cheese idea but I ain't got none of that. What blend of spices/herbs would make your feet get knocked off, so to speak? What about a stuffed meat loaf? Anyone with an idea for that? I have one with rice, green pepper and speghetti sauce but hubby no like green pepper or the sauce....any ideas?

Thanks, Tanis

 

[Alix]

Hey Tanis...I don't know about stuffing a meatloaf...but I do know that when I put dried chilis in the loaf it give it extra ZIP. I do onions, garlic, salt, pepper, chilies and then let people top with ketchup if necessary...ugh!

 

[Barbara L]

What about a stuffed meat loaf? Anyone with an idea for that? I have one with rice, green pepper and speghetti sauce but hubby no like green pepper or the sauce....any ideas?Thanks, Tanis

I've never tried a stuffed meat loaf, but if your husband doesn't like the Italian one, how about Chinese or Mexican? Use the rice and sweet and sour sauce, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, etc., or for Mexican use the rice, salsa or enchilada sauce, etc.

Barbara

 

[Barbara L]

...and then let people top with ketchup if necessary...ugh!

How funny! My mom and I were exact opposites when it came to ketchup on meatloaf. She liked it on her hot meatloaf and I didn't. The next day when we made sandwiches, though, I put ketchup on my sandwich and she didn't!

Barbara

 

[Raine]

I worked with a guy who stuffed his with cheese.

 

[Barbara L]

I worked with a guy who stuffed his with cheese.

I love it stuffed with cheese. My mom put a big dill pickle in the middle of a meatloaf once, and it was very good. I think olives would be good too. I had a cheeseburger at some place in Riverside, California once that had sliced green olives in it, and it was great!

Barbara

 

[tancowgirl2000]

Thaks for your thoughts on this one.....I think I may just try doing a mexican theme thingy with it and see what happens....

Tanis

 

[kitchenelf]

Hey tancowgirl!! What about adding some chipotles in adobo? It wouldn't take many - chop up pretty fine - maybe even some cilantro and lime juice?

 

[Dove]

the best meatloaf recipe you know.

When my son cooked dinner for the first time for his girlfriend, he used a meatloaf recipe from a Betty Crocker cook book. After mixing the meat loaf he patted it out flat..placed thin sliced ham on it and I think brocolli..rolled it up and baked it. She must have liked it because in Aug. they will celebrate their 25th Anniversery..and John still does all the cooking...
Marge

 

[Lifter]

Going with meat loaf as a concept, and nobody is writing on how to do it "cheaply" (a good sign of collective economies!)

So okay, lets kick it up there and use some pricier ingredients to add to the taste...

Instead of using 2 lbs of ground chuck, ask the butcher to grind up a 2 lb sirloin steak with some serious fat on it...(the fat will make it taste better, and otherwise its too lean and dry)

THREE eggs, and, with conciousness to health, we'll use the Omega 3 varietal...

Keeping up with the health thing, add a cup of large flake oatmeal...

2 tablespoons minced garlic

One can of tomato paste (I'm talking the mini-cans, about 3 ounces)

A tablespoon each of Marjoram, Kosher Salt and paprika

A cup of shredded Asiago cheese (sigh! okay, I'm in an "Italian rich" area, for those that aren't, used shredded "old" cheddar, or Romano, or Parmesan)

A cup of the "genuine" bacon bits (NOT artificial!) or, failing that a cup of finely chopped ham

1-1.5 cups of diced Vidalia onion

A cup of BBQ steak sauce, tomato based, I use the Diana brand...

Okay, here's a secret! 2 cups of crushed ice!

Quickly now!

Mix at all together, and try to avoid arriving at a munched together mass...we want it relatively loose, as opposed a crunched together source...

And yes, lets use a bread pan to cook it in...and a meat thermometer to tell us when its "done" to medium...

Damn! I'd love to try those hot peppers and/or chili flakes in this, but my wife would go ballistic...

Lifter