Time never seems to be on our side during the holidays. Whether its because of shopping, holiday parties, socializing or trying to get a book done, easy meals can make our lives a bit simpler.
For me, that usually means one of two dishes - cooked in bulk - and eaten as the need arises. The first is meatloaf. While I was growing up at least, meatloaf always got a bad wrap. I love the stuff, even the badly made versions, but only if it's brown or mushroom gravy based. I'm not much for ketchup slathered over meatloaf. Honestly, I'm not much for ketchup at all - actually had to buy some to make the tomoto-based recipe for the photo, but that idyiosyncracy isn't what this article is about.
The other dish could be called, if pressed, shepherd's pie. The reality is, my shepherds pie is basically meatloaf with the mashed potatoes and gravy already included. I've designed any number of recipes to get metloaf right (for me) as well as reduce its carb footprint. For this particular post, I'm going to focus on three iterations of a simpler yet still favored recipe.
It took a decent amount of experimentation and begging to get ahold of this recipe. This was the first and last tomato-based meatloaf recipe that I actually liked. It's simple, moist and flavorful. It has a topping which, to be honest, I never make. I've included it anyway.
Meatloaf:
- 1.5 lbs ground beef (I prefer ground chuck)
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1 cup tomato juice
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
Topping:
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard (not mustard seed)
- 2 drops liquid smoke
Preheat your oven for 350 degrees.
Mix up the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl. Feel free to dig your fingers in and feel the smoosh. The results will look too wet, but the loaf cooks up fine. Put the mix into a 9”x 6” loaf pan.
Blend the topping in a smaller bowl and slather overtop.
Bake the whole thing for 45 minutes.
I usually make a triple batch, but I don't vary the cooking time.
This was the first beef rather than tomato-based variation. It worked pretty well, but the flavor level wasn't as robust. For that reason, I added a topping of brown or mushroom gravy.
Meatloaf:
- 1.5 lbs ground beef (I prefer ground chuck)
- 1 cup oatmeal
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup brown gravy
Preheat your oven for 350 degrees.
Mix up the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl, and yes enjoy that wonderful feeling of squishing the ingredients between your fingers. If you're the kind of person that likes to squish mud between your toes, I don't recommend using your feet unless you've washed them like 45 times....because, well, feet. The results will look too wet, but the loaf cooks up fine. Put the mix into a 6”x 9” loaf pan.
Pour the gravy over top.
Bake the whole thing for 45 minutes.
I usually make a triple batch, but I don't vary the cooking time.
This is my favorite version so far, though I intend to experiment with another where I replace the oatmeal with riced white mushrooms. I've removed the salt and reduced the amount of liquid to compensate for the saltiness. I don't top this one either.
Meatloaf:
- 1.5 lbs ground beef (I prefer ground chuck)
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup au jus (made with beef broth)
- 1 egg, beaten
Preheat your oven for 350 degrees.
Same deal as the other two. Mix up the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl. I've removed the salt due to the au jus and reduced the amount of liquid, so this one won't seem as wet, but still might trouble you. The loaf cooks up moist but firm. Put the mix into a 6”x 9” loaf pan.
No topping on this one, so bake the whole thing for 45 minutes.
I usually make a triple batch, but I don't vary the cooking time,
Just a reminder, these were designed to make me happy. Please ensure you don't include anything that might cause you illness or an alergic reaction.
Enjoy...
