A basic meatloaf recipe is easy and economical. Meatloaf tastes great, freezes well and makes terrific sandwiches. Meatloaf is also a great place to get rid of the last tablespoon of ketchup or the last bit of sauce.
Three basic ingredients are needed for cooking meatloaf: ground meat, some form of binder and liquid. It doesn't matter what type of meat it is, and binders can be bread, bread crumbs, croutons, crackers, flour or cornmeal. The liquid can include tomato juice, milk, an egg, applesauce, beer or wine.
Vegetables Add Flavor
Get your veggies by throwing in carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, corn, squash or sweet potatoes. First, mash the vegetables, except corn and onion. Saute vegetables if necessary. When adding vegetables to the meatloaf, add only about ½ cup to each meatloaf pan.
Technique
Every cook makes her meatloaf a little differently, but most will agree that an overall temperature of about 350 degrees is best. For a regular loaf pan size, about an hour and fifteen minutes is plenty of time to cook a meatloaf. If adding mashed potatoes to the top of the meatloaf, do so in the last 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes turn golden brown. Let meatloaf sit for 15 minutes before serving. During this time, the juice will filter down through the entire meatloaf, so that it's moist throughout.
Tips for the Ultimate Meatloaf
Cooked meatloaf can easily be frozen.
Using ground turkey? Double the binder, or the turkey meatloaf will be too heavy.
Use lean ground beef, or be prepared to drain the grease from the meatloaf several times as it cooks. A better way to cook a meatloaf is to place it on a rack and let the grease drain into a pan below.
If using cheese in the meatloaf, use extra-lean meat. If the meat has a high fat content, when the cheese melts it will mix with the grease and end up draining off.
To give your meatloaf some zing, use spices and sauces, such as garlic croutons, teriyaki sauce, mustard and ketchup.
How to Make Meatloaf
Ingredients You Will Need:
½ cup melted butter
Herbs to your taste
1 cup garlic herb croutons
2 ½ pounds of ground chuck
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
½ cup carrot shavings
½ cup pine nuts
Fill a sandwich bag with butter, herbs and garlic herb croutons. Smash them with a rolling pin, and set aside. Put ground chuck into a large bowl, and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, dressing packet, carrot shavings and pine nuts.
Add crouton mix to the meat, and then add the egg mix. Stir well, and pour everything into a meatloaf pan. Bake at 350 for about an hour. When it's almost done, make glaze. Use equal amounts of ketchup and teriyaki sauce; add a squirt of mustard, and then pour the entire mixture over the top.
Side Dish Pairings
Side dishes that go well with meatloaf are dishes that also must be baked in the oven. Baked potatoes and green bean casserole are excellent choices. If your oven is large enough, add a few baked apples for dessert.
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