Mom's Meatloaf

Mom always made a basic meatloaf, which is very delicious, but meatloaf is very accepting of many different ingredients. You can add herbs, grated cheese, chopped bell pepper, grated carrots, chopped mushrooms, sliced olives, Worcestershire sauce, etc., etc., etc. Stuffed meatloafs are interesting and a change from regular meatloaf. See Meatloaf Tips below for variation ideas including the 1950s Frosted Meatloaf (frosted with mashed potatoes), which was usually served with a side of peas.

We have found using fresh bread, such as Italian bread, for half the amount of breadcrumbs lightens the meatloaf. Put the bread in the food processor to break it down into breadcrumbs. The function of breadcrumbs in meatloaf is to absorb and retain the juices so you have a moister loaf. Meat by itself will simply drain away the juices and end up dry. And adding milk to breadcrumbs helps keep the meatloaf moist. Without it, the dry breadcrumbs would suck all the moisture from the meat.

The bread soaked in milk and added to meatloaf, meatballs and similar meat mixtures is called a panade (puh-NOD), which makes for a much softer, more delicate meat texture. And the protein in the milk helps to bond the starches to the proteins in the meat, so don't substitute water. I do not remember if Mom did this or not when making meatloaf. https://www.bonappetit.com has an article called "For Spoon-Tender Meatballs, You Need to Make a Panade" and note that "pa nade is a starch and liquid mixture that prevents the protein fibers in meat from constricting and stiffening." See What Is a Panade? How Panade Is Made and When to Use It

Kenji López-Alt likes to add these vegetable finely chopped in the food processor. He uses 2 pounds of meat. 4 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned; 2 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped (about 2 teaspoons); 1 small onion, roughly chopped (about 3/4 cup); 1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup); 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup).

I found an interesting topping at https://www.southernliving.com/ that adds pepper jelly to ketchup. May be interesting to try sometime. Mix 2/3 cup ketchup with 3 Tbsp. pepper jelly. Top the meatloaf about a half hour before done.

Other inventive toppings: Chili sauce (basically a spiced up ketchup), BBQ sauce, sun dried tomato sauce, ketchup combined with a little Dijon or yellow mustard and maybe a little brown sugar,

Mom's Meatloaf recipe

Plan 1/4 pound ground beef per person. The last time I made this I added a small amount of poblano pepper, plus everything in the recipe below. I barely noticed the poblano pepper.

1 1/2 pound fresh ground beef, 85% is best so less grease in the pan once cooked (Brain likes to use part ground pork)
1 onion, finely chopped (add to the meatloaf raw)
3/4 - 1 cup bread or cracker crumbs*, such as Saltines (half fresh bread crumbs and half cracker crumbs, softened with milk, works good)
1/3 cup milk (moistens dry bread and cracker crumbs)
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
parsley
Worcestershire sauce, if desired
ketchup for topping

*Soft bread crumbs make a more tender, juicier and lighter loaf than dry crumbs. You can briefly soak dry crumbs in a bit of milk or water before adding. Some recipes add oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs.

Mix the ground beef with the raw chopped onion (I think the meatloaf is better if you don’t cook the onion before adding, as opposed to many recipes), bread and/or cracker crumbs, the milk, eggs, parsley and any additional ingredients you are adding; you do not want to mash the mixture together, keep it light and airy. This may be easiest to do with your hands. Spread into a loaf pan and pat down (but do not pack), rounding the top so that it is shaped like a loaf of bread. Spread ketchup over the top.

Another topping idea: Mix 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or 1 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar) or 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.

Bake in a a 350° oven until done, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can tell that the meatloaf is done when the ketchup on top has cooked to a nice glaze and the meatloaf starts to pull away from the sides of the loaf pan. Internal temperature should be 155° - 160° F. Do not cook your meatloaf too long, or it will become dry. Drain off the fat and rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Good with mashed potatoes and gravy. For a change, try mushroom gravy, or here is a recipe for Homemade Brown Gravy, which is traditonal. Leftovers are also good as sandwiches with more ketchup spread on the meat.

Vegetable side dish ideas: See Vegetables & Other Side Dishes

• Green beans or corn tends to be traditional in diners
• Broccoli or Brussels sprouts
• Roasted potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery. Any hearty root vegetable pairs well, and conveniently cooks at the same temperature.

Meatloaf Tips:

• Some recipes add dry onion soup mix, such as Lipton's, instead of onions. This would require more liquid added.
• Add 1/3 cup of vegetable juice, wine, beef broth, or beer to the mixture for added flavor.
• Some people like to add bacon to the top instead of ketchup
• One cup of finely grated potato or carrot (or a mixture of both) can be added to the loaf in place of 1/4 pound of the meat to reduce the meat content. Betty Crocker has a Loaded Vegetable Meatloaf which has potatoes, zucchini and carrots added, but corn and other vegetables would work, too.
• "Frosted" Meatloaf: Another variety of meatloaf is prepared by frosting it with mashed potatoes, drizzling it with a small amount of butter, and browning in the oven. The "frosted" meatloaf, where mashed potato is slathered on a baked loaf, then broiled for a golden crust, debuted in the 1950s. You can use a loaf pan or shape it by hand before baking. The loaf, once baked, can be put on an oven-proof serving dish before frosting and returning to the oven.
• Mexican flavored meatloaf. Add salsa and taco seasoning to the meat mixture as well as spreading salsa on top to bake. Choose aa salsa, mild, medium or hot to make it as spicy as you want.
• Another Mexican flavored meatloaf. Add corn, black beans, canned green chiles, and taco seasoning mix to the meat mixture. Spread the top with a salsa. Serve with a black bean and corn salsa (made by mixing black beans and corn with a tablespoon cilantro, a little lime juice and olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper) and other desired garnishes, such as sour cream, shredded cheese and guacamole.
• Honey Barbecue Bacon Meatloaf. Add bacon and a honey barbeque sauce to the meat mixture. Top loaf with more barbeque sauce.
• Italian flavored meatloaf made with Italian herbs, Parmesan cheese, and Marinara sauce.