Meatloaf, Mastered

I have always loved a good meatloaf. Growing up, it was one of the meals my mom made so well, and I loved when it was on the menu. 

Pork chops? Not so much. Dad liked them very well done, and it was like trying to chew the sole off the bottom of my shoe. 

But meatloaf? That was a treat! 

When I had my own apartment, I thought I could make meatloaf better by adding a bunch of random ingredients and spices into the mix. It was awful, and I called Mom to find out how she made hers. 

Through the years, I have improved the technique, and slightly edited the recipe, to come up with what I believe is the PERFECT meatloaf. 

When ground beef went on sale at my local market recently, it was the perfect time to make a big batch of meatloaf for the freezer....and lucky for you I actually wrote down the recipe! 

Here's what you'll need: 

3 large or extra large eggs

2 cups of milk

3 tsp garlic, minced

3 tsp concentrated tomato paste

3 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

2 large onions

4 1/2 lbs ground beef (I used 80% lean)

Salt and pepper to taste

Ok here we go - making the very best meatloaf! 

I started with three large eggs in the bottom of my Kitchen Aid stand mixer's bowl. If you don't have a stand mixer, you will have to use a very large mixing bowl and whisk the eggs. 

I started up the mixer on medium to whip up the eggs, then added 2 cups of fat free milk.You can use whatever milk you have, although I can't vouch for soy or almond type milks. 

While the mixer was running, I added in 3 teaspoons of concentrated tomato paste. If you don't have concentrated paste, I would double it for standard tomato paste. 

Next went salt and pepper, to taste. I went easy on the salt, heavy on the pepper. 

Into the egg/milk mixture I put three cups of seasoned breadcrumbs and mixed on low to combine. 

Let the breadcrumb mixture sit for a few minutes, to soak up all the liquid. That's what makes your meatloaf extra moist.

Next up, two large onions, finely chopped.  Don't forget to save the scraps in the freezer for your homemade broth!

I use my handy-dandy Cuisinart mini chopper to chop onions and garlic. 

Remember - work smarter, not harder. 

The onions went into the breadcrumb mixture, along with 3 teaspoons of garlic, minced. 

Let the mixer do the work, and then begin adding the ground beef a little at a time. 

My mixer couldn't quite handle the entire 4 1/2 lbs....but it managed about 4 lbs of beef, and the rest I mixed in by hand. 

When the mixer was full to overflowing, I dumped the mixture into a very large mixing bowl, and mixed in the last bit of ground beef by hand. 

I was hoping to avoid that part....but it couldn't be helped. 

On a side note, I seriously LOVE this mixing bowl. I got it during a great sale at Sur La Table a while back, and I'm obsessed. It's the perfect size for mixing, and the sides are sloped perfectly. Love, love, love!! Sur La Table doesn't have the red one any more, sadly....but here are some other options and colors.

Anyway.....moving on! 

Next I covered a baking tray with foil, and laid out 4 more pieces of heavy duty foil on the counter. 

I divided the mixture up into 5 somewhat even portions, and formed them into loaves. 

Four got wrapped for the freezer, and one was going to become that night's dinner. 

I added about 3 tbs barbecue sauce to the top of the one to be baked that evening. 

I used my silicone basting brush to brush the bbq sauce evenly over the top and sides of the meatloaf. 

You can also use a clean, unused paintbrush for this purpose, as I did prior to getting my silicone basting brush. 

I love knowing I have 4 more meatloaves in the freezer, ready for a quick and easy comfort food dinner on a busy day. 

I'm only cooking for two these days, so I was able to make the loaves just the right size for two dinners and two lunches the next day. You may need to make yours a bit bigger, depending on who is gathered around your table. 

I baked the meatloaf at 350 degrees for about an hour, while I made some mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas to go with it.

Do you remember what I told you about making mashed potatoes? The magic gadget to make the most wonderful, creamiest mashed potatoes? 

A potato ricer. Yup, no peeling involved, gotta love it. 

This is the one I have. 

For the gravy, I make a simple gravy as follows: 

Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add in 3 tsp Lower Sodium Better than Boiullon Beef flavor.

Simmer for a couple of minutes, add Wondra to thicken. Add a teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet for color and flavor. Do not add extra salt, but add pepper if you'd like.

And voila! The quintessential perfectly perfect meatloaf dinner. 

Heaven on a plate, right there. 

And four more in the freezer, ready to whip up at a moment's notice. 

Simple, homemade, comfort food. Budget friendly, and oh so delicious. 

What could be better than that? 

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