For every cook in the kitchen across the world, there is an easy meatloaf recipe. No meatloaf is created equal which makes it quite hard to find a recipe because there are so many too choose from. The types of meat are different as well as the add-in ingredients and where you live also might dictate the spices and condiments used to create this easy meal.
Ingredients to Expect in an Easy Meatloaf Recipe
The most popular ingredient hands down in an easy meatloaf recipe is ground beef because its cheap, readily available and easy to work with. However, you can make a lighter version using lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or even ground sausage. Some people may spice things up a bit by adding two different types of ground meat together for their easy meatloaf recipe.
There are also some ingredients that are used to bind the ground meat together in the recipe. Eggs are often one of these binding ingredients as well as some dry ingredient like bread crumbs, oatmeal, crushed cracker or even crushed potato chips. In terms of the liquid that can be found in most recipes for meatloaf, the majority of the time, it is either ketchup or tomato sauce. Some people will add a splash or two of hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce for a piquant flavor as well as herbs and spices along with some chopped onions and green peppers.
Handy Cooking Tips for your Easy Meatloaf Recipe
One of the most important tips for a great meatloaf is not to over mix your ingredients. When you squeeze and knead the ground meat mixture, you could be leaching out moisture which could result in a drier meatloaf. Therefore, when following your easy meatloaf recipe, use your fingers to mix until the ingredients are just blended.
Secondly, if possible, soak your binding ingredient like bread crumbs or oatmeal in the liquid that is called for in the recipe. This will prevent your meatloaf from having dry spots whereas if you add in the binding ingredient already moisten by your liquid, your meatloaf will be totally moist.
Whatever your easy meatloaf recipe says, do not bake your meatloaf in a shallow pan where it will cook in its own fat and juices. Instead, bake your meatloaf on top of a broiler pan, the kind with the slits on the top and the bottom will catch the drippings. Now, your meatloaf will not get soggy on the bottom and you still have your drippings in case you want to make gravy for your mashed potato or rice accompaniment.
An easy meatloaf recipe is, well, very easy to come by. Countless cookbooks and internet websites have them. What is so great about meatloaf is its versatility and the fact that you can put anything you want in there based on the contents of your pantry and refrigerator.
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