When I was a kid, meatloaf was a weekly staple at our dinner table. I hated it. My mom was a great cook, and I loved most of her food, but I could not stand her meatloaf. To be fair, it wasn't just hers. For whatever reason, I hated all meatloaf. Someone could have served me the best meatloaf in the world, and I would still have turned my nose at it.
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This hatred of meatloaf lasted until I was in my mid-20s and was tasked with making staff meals in the restaurant I was working in at the time. I was given a pile of ground beef and told to make something. I have no idea why I chose to make meatloaf, but I did, and it was delicious. It was the only meatloaf I'd ever had that I liked up until that point. Now, I wouldn't say that I developed a love for meatloaf after that, but I did develop more of an appreciation for it.
I'm still not crazy about meatloaf, but once or twice a year, I get a craving for it and put one together. Rarely do I make the same meatloaf twice. Sometimes, I wrap it in bacon; sometimes, I make it really dense; sometimes, it's a little looser. On occasion I will make a really sweet topping, sometimes I will make it more savoury.
The meatloaf I'm sharing with you today is not one that I've ever made before. I created the recipe specifically for this post with the idea that I was going to make the best meatloaf I could. Did I accomplish that? I think so, but judge for yourself.
Getting Started
One big problem I've always had with meatloaf and some burgers too is that they will have big chunks of onion and garlic that didn't fully cook. This makes the meatloaf especially unenjoyable to eat. The obvious solution then is to pre-cook the onions and garlic. That is exactly what I did.
To start my meatloaf I finely diced 1 baseball-sized onion and 2 cloves of garlic (measurements in the recipe below). I heated a frying pan over medium heat, added a little bit of olive oil and cooked the onions until they started to soften. Then, I added in the garlic and cooked for another 2 minutes. I set this aside to cool and got to work on the rest of my mix.
Meatloaf Mix
For the meatloaf mix, I started with 2 lbs of medium ground beef (medium referring to the amount of fat rather than the size of the grind). To the meat, I added ½ cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free), 1 egg, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ½ cup loosely packed chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon mustard, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint (secret ingredient). Finally, I added in the cooled onions and garlic.
With all the ingredients added into the meat, I mixed until everything was fully distributed. Once the meat was mixed I kneaded it, just like a loaf of bread, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture was sticky. Then I pushed it into a loaf pan and set it aside.
Glaze
I think there is a law that says that you can't have meatloaf without some kind of ketchup-based glaze on it, so I made one. Generally, these glazes have either brown sugar or molasses in them. I decided to switch it up and use Coca-Cola instead. It worked really well.
The only problem I had with it was that as I put it in the oven, I realized I should have added some whiskey to the glaze. If I had the forethought to do that, this would have been a Jack and Coke glaze. Next time.
For the glaze, I combined ½ cup of ketchup, 3 tablespoon of coke, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 teaspoon soy sauce (gluten-free tamari) and a bit of salt and pepper. I mixed this up, poured it over the meatloaf and popped the whole thing in a 350°F oven for a little over an hour. The important part is that a thermometer inserted into the middle of the meatloaf reads 165°F.
Mushroom Gravy
Meatloaf without gravy is like a burger without a bun. Pointless, and no meatloaf at all. To make my gravy, I heated up about 2 tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan and sauteed about 6 sliced cremini mushrooms and ¼ cup of minced onion. After 3-4 minutes of cooking, I added in 2 teaspoon of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme.
I cooked the garlic for about 2 minutes then sprinkled about 1 tablespoon of flour (gluten-free) over the pan and mixed it in. Once the flour was mixed in and had cooked for about 2 minutes, I added in 1 cup of beef stock and a little salt and pepper. I brought the gravy to a boil, reduced the heat to low and simmered until it was gravy consistency. If you enjoy mushroom-based sauces, you might also love my Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce.
Once the gravy was ready I set it aside until the meatloaf was cooked. When it came time to serve, I added a few tablespoon of water to the gravy and put the pan back on the burner until the gravy was hot and the proper consistency.
Finish The Meatloaf
To finish the meatloaf, I cut it into slices and plated it with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a bit of gravy. And yes, it was as good as it looks.
Tips for the Best Meatloaf
Here are a few things I have learned over the years that will help you make a great meatloaf every time:
- Don't skip the kneading. Kneading the meat develops the proteins and helps the meatloaf hold together without being dry or crumbly.
- Use a meat thermometer. The only way to know for certain that your meatloaf is done is to check the internal temperature. You are looking for 165°F in the centre.
- Let it rest before slicing. Give the meatloaf five to ten minutes out of the oven before you cut into it. This lets the juices redistribute so every slice is moist.
- Pre-cook your aromatics. As I mentioned above, raw onion and garlic chunks in the middle of a meatloaf are not pleasant. A few minutes of sauteing solves that problem entirely.
Final Thoughts
As I said, I've never been that big a fan of meatloaf, but I was a fan of this one. One thing I think that you'll be surprised by is how much flavour that tiny bit of mint in the meat mixture adds to the meatloaf. It really changes it from a good meatloaf to a great one.
Another thing that was really great about this was that the meatloaf was really juicy and tender. It is definitely worth making. If you are a fan of hearty comfort food like this, you should also check out my Authentic Swedish Meatballs with Rich Mushroom Gravy for another ground beef recipe that is packed with flavour. Give this meatloaf a try and I think you will be pleasantly surprised, even if meatloaf has never been your thing.
Recipe
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 lb Medium Ground Beef
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Bread Crumbs I used Gluten Free
- ¾ cup Minced Onion
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt or ½ teaspoon Table Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
- 1 tablespoon Prepared Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Chopped Mint
- ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Glaze
- ½ cup Ketchup
- 3 tablespoon Coca-Cola
- 1 tablespoon Prepared Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce I used gluten-free Tamari
Gravy
- ¼ cup Minced Onion
- 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 1 ½ tablespoon Butter
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Chopped Thyme
- ½ cup Sliced Cremini Mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon Flour I used Gluten-Free
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Meatloaf
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in the olive oil, and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add in the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Combine the remaining meatloaf ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled onions and garlic and mix well. Knead the meatloaf mixture for 5-6 minutes until the meat becomes tacky and sticky. Push the meat into a loaf pan. Set aside.
Glaze
- Combine the glaze ingredients and mix well. Pour the glaze over the meatloaf. Put the glazed meatloaf in the oven on 350°F. Bake for about 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Gravy
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until it starts to foam. Add in the mushrooms, and onions and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir for about 1 minute. Stir in the beef stock, and cook until thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over the the meatloaf.
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