ISO Meatloaf Recipe

[hummingbird0898]

Just have a quick question. Can u make meatloaf without eggs? If so does anyone have a recipe I can have?

 

[Dawgluver]

You can grind flaxseed, mix with water, and sub for egg in anything. I haven't yet tried it in meatloaf, but it should work.

 

[Alix]

I never use egg in mine. You'll be fine.

 

[pacanis]

The answer is no. You defintely need an egg or two

Seriously though, the more I make meatloaf the more I realize it isn't really a recipe, but a concoction, or way to use things up. As long as you can get it to stick together, throw it in the oven!

 

[giggler]

My Sister makes it without eggs..

and it works just fine, with "Less Grease".. she says..

just don't forget the "Catsup on Top"!

Eric, Austin TX.

 

[Claire]

Done with and without. I prefer with because it "holds together" in a slice better. What a lot of people forget about some recipes (that is, old fashioned, home-cooking meals) is that many are what I call "peasant food". Meat, the expensive ingredient, stretched by other ingredients (i.e., bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, and eggs) to make them less expensive. When I just use ground meat, the slices crumble. When I use eggs, then refrigerate the leftovers, I can slice the meatloaf quite thinly without it crumbling at all the next day.

 

[CWS4322]

It depends. I typically use an egg because I have hens and lots of eggs to use up. I really like to add some oatmeal and divide the meat, put a layer of frozen spinach (thawed) with some feta or cottage cheese mixed in, topped with homemade salsa. The other thing I do is add powdered milk to the concoction. My paternal grandmother's meatloaf was awful...don't know how she made it, but it was gross. My mother's meatloaf wasn't much better. Whenever I visit my folks, my dad requests my meatloaf.

 

[Zhizara]

I always add a couple of eggs, sometimes three. I like to fry slices of meatloaf for breakfast with eggs, or for meatloaf sandwiches. The eggs help keep the slices intact.

I also like to try new fillers.

Thanksgiving type stuffing was really good.

I saved a quarter of the creamed corn and bacon cornbread I made yesterday, to dice up for my next meatloaf.

When using cornbread filler, I usually make the meatloaf like a tamale pie with a taco seasoning pack and a can of diced stewed tomatoes (drained), some sliced black olives and kernel corn.

 

[JMediger]

Ow - creamed corn and corn bread, yum!

I would use soft bread instead of crumbs if I was leaving out the egg. It will help bid it.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

It depends. I typically use an egg because I have hens and lots of eggs to use up. I really like to add some oatmeal and divide the meat, put a layer of frozen spinach (thawed) with some feta or cottage cheese mixed in, topped with homemade salsa. The other thing I do is add powdered milk to the concoction. My paternal grandmother's meatloaf was awful...don't know how she made it, but it was gross. My mother's meatloaf wasn't much better. Whenever I visit my folks, my dad requests my meatloaf.

LOL! My Dad requests lots of foods when i visit, meatloaf is one and so is oatmeal...

 

[Dawgluver]

Talked to my mom yesterday, she admits her meatloaf is horrible (and it was, as I remember). She was giving it another try, using StoveTop stuffing mix, chopped onions, egg, etc. The one thing she insists on putting in is steak sauce. She won't do meatloaf without it. I hate steak sauce, and have the feeling that's been the deal breaker all along.

 

[Zhizara]

The tamale meatloaf is cooking now. Of course, I forgot the cheese AGAIN. I always forget the cheese, even if it's right there on the counter.

I just grated some extra sharp cheddar, and will serve a couple of slices of meatloaf on the bed of shredded cheddar.

 

[Zhizara]

Ow - creamed corn and corn bread, yum!

I would use soft bread instead of crumbs if I was leaving out the egg. It will help bid it.

With bacon cracklings!

 

[Zhizara]

I put the shredded cheddar on my plate, topped with some chunky salsa and topped it with the meatloaf. The cornbread filler is a winner. Good stuff!!

 

[Caslon]

Which is the binder for meatloaf, the yolks or the whites or both? I usually don't add egg to my meatloaf, but would consider the whites of the egg as a binder.

 

[Andy M.]

Which is the binder for meatloaf, the yolks or the whites or both? I usually don't add egg to my meatloaf, but would consider the whites of the egg as a binder.

You can get results with the white only. Typically, you would use 1-2 whole eggs for 2 pounds of meatloaf. I'd recommend three times the egg whites to get the same binding power.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

If you think about what happens when eggs and dissolved proteins are allowed to dry, you can begin to see how they act as a binder. do you remember making glue out of milk and flour as a child? Or have you ever found a little milk that was spilled on a table, and let dry. The protiens in the milk are sticky and can be used to "glue" things together. Egg whites are the same. Milk and egg whites both serve to bind things together when they are cooked. The yolks emulsify the melted fat from the meat as it's cooking. If the yolks were the only part of the egg used, it would have the opposite effect, causing the ground beef to fall apart. The fat in ground beef is also a binder. You can see this when using very lean ground beef. It tends to fall apart when made into hamburgers and such.

The starches in breads, crackers, etc., also act as binders, again because of their sticky nature. To much of these products will render your meatloaf mushy.

My meatloaf is meatier than most, as I use fewer starchy fillers. I do use 1 egg per pound of meat, and add 1/2 lb. of sausage for every lb. of ground beef. This allows the extra ground fat from the sausage to help bind the meat. It allows me to add more flavorful ingredients such as diced peppers, diced onions, and other veggies as the flavor profile I'm trying to achieve requires. The type of sausage used also helps flavor the meatloaf.

Here are two versions that are well received:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 lbs. hot Italian Sausage
1 large onion, fine dice
1 sweet bell pepper, fine dice
3 eggs
1/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs, or uncooked farina
1/2 cup milk
1 tbs. dried oregano
1 tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and place in loaf pan, or shape into a mountain, with a crater, on a suitable jelly-roll pan.. Cook until juices run clear and meat thermometer reads 165' F., Cover with marinara sauce and graded parmesano regiano cheese, or grated provolone. Place in oven to melt the cheese. Serve with pasta.

Meatloaf 2:
Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lbs. hot andouille, or pork sausage
1 large onion, fine dice
1 sweet bell pepper, fine dice
3 eggs
1/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs, or uncooked farina
1/2 cup milk
1 tbs. dried sage
1 tbs. dried basil
1 tbs. fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh, chopped hot peppers of your choice
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and place in loaf pan, or shape into a mountain, with a crater, on a suitable jelly-roll pan.. Cook until juices run clear and meat thermometer reads 165' F., Cover with Enchilada sauce and grated white cheddar, or grated Monterey Jack. Place in oven to melt the cheese. Serve with refried beans, fresh corn tortilla chips, and your favorite Mexican side dishes.

Hope this gives you some though about the various things you can do with meatloaf.

Another technique that makes a wonderful loaf, though it's not called meat loaf, is to cut raw chicken pork, and beef, or mix and match whatever meats you want to use, into thin strips. Lay the strips into a well buttered pan, in layers, adding sliced olives, cheese, or whatever you think might taste great in your loaf, and seasonings. Do not remove connecting tissues, and leaf a little fat on the meat. The top layer needs to be meat. Place foil tightly over the loaf pan to seal it. Bake until your loaf in a 325' oven until it reaches a center temperature of about 175' F. REmove it from the oven and refrigerate. Remove it from the pan and you have your very own, home made luncheon meat, made to your specifications. The collogen will have dissoved from teh connecting tissue, and will work with the fat to hold the loaf together. I like to make mine with pork and chicken, and use onion and black olives, sometimes bits of Gouda or Havarti cheese, and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Garlic is good too. You just have to be careful with how much you use.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Andy M.]

If you think about what happens when eggs and dissolved proteins are allowed to dry, you can begin to see how they act as a binder. do you remember making glue out of milk and flour as a child? Or have you ever found a little milk that was spilled on a table, and let dry. The protiens in the milk are sticky and can be used to "glue" things together. Egg whites are the same. Milk and egg whites both serve to bind things together when they are cooked. The yolks emulsify the melted fat from the meat as it's cooking. If the yolks were the only part of the egg used, it would have the opposite effect, causing the ground beef to fall apart. The fat in ground beef is also a binder. You can see this when using very lean ground beef. It tends to fall apart when made into hamburgers and such.

The starches in breads, crackers, etc., also act as binders, again because of their sticky nature. To much of these products will render your meatloaf mushy.

...

I don't see how the fat in the meat can act as a binder when it has all melted out and collected in the pan.

Both the white and the yolk contain proteins that serve as a binder when heated.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I don't see how the fat in the meat can act as a binder when it has all melted out and collected in the pan.

Both the white and the yolk contain proteins that serve as a binder when heated.

I too am unsure how fat acts as a bidner, except from what I hae personally experienced. I know that when I use very lean ground beef, my burgers don't hold together well. But when I use a more fatty ground beef, the fat helps hold the meat tissure together. Maybe it's not the fat, but the cell walls that held the fat. I really don't know, except that 70/30 holds together much better than 90/10., even though the burger shrinks from melting fat pouring out of the burger. I also know that an added egg helps reduce shrinkage in burgers, even fatty ones. I've seen the results of cooking both with and without the egg, using the same ground beef.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Maybe it's because the fat doesn't allow the meat to dry out as much as lean will dry out and become crumbly.