Bless Her Heart

My Mom’s Mighty Good Meatloaf is one of 31 main dish options available choices that will appear on the The Red Plate Cafe menu.

Growing up, I put meatloaf in the same category as black-eyed peas and butterbeans…those foods that I would never, ever make for my kids to eat and that I myself would never eat once I was grown and wearing high heels of my own. 

But now I find that good, old-fashioned meatloaf is an ultimate comfort food.. 

Meatloaf is yet another example of the imagination and resourcefulness of chefs throughout history…creating a family meal using only simple, low-cost ingredients. 

Meatloaf is also easy to customize to your own family’s likes and dislikes. Experiment with meats and spices until you finally find that one perfect combination that you want to pass down to your grandkids. 

Ground Beef:: Use ground beef that is at least 80% or 85% lean meat. Avoid super lean ground beef. 

You want minimal grease, but don’t want to lose the flavor that fat adds to the dish. The sour cream in this recipe adds a little extra fat and a slightly tangy flavor. 

You could also substitute half of the ground beef with turkey, pork or Italian sausage. 

Breadcrumbs and Eggs:  These both act as binders to hold the meatloaf together. You could substitute panko breadcrumbs with Italian breadcrumbs or even gluten-free breadcrumbs. 

Ketchup or Wircestershire Sauce: Ketchup adds flavor and tenderizes the meat. Which one you use is mainly a matter of personal preference. I could drink “Wooster” by the bottle. My husband, on the other hand, does not like it very much at all. 

Milk:  Milk rehydrates the breadcrumbs and helps tenderize the beef. 

Onions and Garlic: aOnions and garlic add aroma and flavor. 

Seasonings: Italian seasoning, salt and pepper enhance the natural flavors of the beef. 

• Meat: 1# ground sirloin, 1# ground pork 
• 2 eggs  
• 3 slices bread, toasted and crumbled to make 3/4C total
• 7 buttery round crackers, crushed,  
• ½C ketchup.  

• 1½Tbsp Worcestershire sauce,  
• ¼C milk
• 2 cloves garlic, minced,  
• 1 onion, grated.  
• 1½tsp salt
• 1½tsp pepper,  
• 1tsp Italian seasoning.  
• Sauce:  ¾C ketchup, 2Tbsp brown sugar  

Instructions

Prep: Like almost everyone else probably did, I was taught to make meatloaf in a loaf pan. I’ve made meatloaf in a loaf pan for decades.

But this year, I took a gamble and made my meatloaf simply on a baking sheet lined with parchment…I figured that would be one less dish to wash later.

I have also learned that using a baking sheet allows air to circulate around the meatloaf as it bakes, meaning that it cooks more evenly and has a better crust.

So at this point, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

To bake in a loaf pan: line the loaf pan with parchment paper. Gently press your meat mixture into your loaf pan. Bake at 375˚F, instead of 350, for the same amount of time. The meatloaf cooked in a loaf pan will take longer to cook through.

Sautee the onions: This will give them a better flavor and ensures that no one bites into a piece of uncooked onion that is sticking out from the rest of the perfectly blended meatloaf mixture like a sore thumb.

Cut the garlic, onions and any other vegetables you might add into very small, uniform pieces. Consider grating the onion instead of dicing as normal.

To do this, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat for five minutes stirring occasionally until softened and golden. Cook onion and garlic about five minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Remove from heat, Season with salt and pepper.Transfer it to a plate and set aside to cool slightly. 

Stir it all together: The secret to keeping meatloaf moist?!

Not overmixing the mixture…

Use your hands to combine all of the meatloaf ingredients.

Crumble up the crackers and toasted bread into very fine crumbs, This helps give the meatloaf a more uniform texture.

Mix just until ingredients come together. Otherwise you’ll end up with a dense, compacted meatloaf.  

Shape Meatloaf and Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees – warm enough to ensure that the meatloaf maintains its shape, but not so hot as to dry it out.  

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet. Shape into a 9”x5” loaf of some sort.

Bake the meatloaf for 40 minutes, and an internal temperature of 160 degrees. This will fully cook the inside of the meatloaf.

Increase the oven temp to 400. Bake for 15 minutes. This gives your crust a delicious taste and texture.

Baking meatloaf without a glaze during the first stage of baking does three things:

• Creates a better surface for the glaze to stick to
• Keeps your meatloaf from getting too soggy
• Prevents the glaze from burning

Make the Sauce: The glaze for meatloaf provides flavor while also keeping the meatloaf moist during its last leg of cooking time.  

To make the glaze, stir together ¼C brown sugar, ¼C ketchup and 1tsp Worcestershire. Brush thix mixture onto the top and sides of the meatloaf. Return the pan to the oven. Bake an additional ten minutes to caramelize and set the glaze.

Give the meatloaf 15 minutes to rest before slicing into it. This gives the meatloaf a chance to redistribute juices throughout the meatloaf. This also makes slicing the meatloaf much easier.

To store, refrigerate cooled meatloaf in an airtight container for up to four days

To freeze: let the meatloaf cool to room temperature, freeze portions in freezer bags for up to three months. Thaw in fridge overnight and then reheat in oven or air fryer.