MEATLOAF....

Any idea how to make meatloaf without tomato & tomato sauce? I'm thinking of making some meatloaf for this mother's day

I saute some vegetables....usually onion, carrot & celery, but you could certainly use any you like, then cool.  I mix the cooked vegetables with panko & regular bread crumbs, seasonings like marjoram, chervil (whatever I happen to grab from the pantry), chopped parsley & thyme from my garden and buttermilk.  I add one egg per 2 pounds of meat.  If I was using tomato sauce, this is when I would add it, but you can leave it out and it's still tasty. When everything is mixed then I add the ground meat, hamburger and breakfast sausage in my case, and mix until everything is incorporated evenly.  I usually take a small amount and make a patty, fry it up to taste and test for seasoning.  That way you know if you need more salt or want another herb.

Then I just form into a loaf and put it in the refrigerator to firm up so it holds it's shape.  I bake on a rack so the fat drains off (remember, I'm using breakfast sausage and it has extra fat), starting at 450° for 15 minutes to seal, then drop to 350° for 45 minutes or until done.

Heck, you are SO creative....you'll have no problem coming up with something fabulous!

If I were making them to take for a buffet meal, I'd make them in muffin tins or just free-form small football shaped loafs for individual servings.

*****Go to the site Norm recommended, "foodily.com". You can request a recipe for meatloaf "without" tomato. It has lots of ideas.

bethk wrote:I saute some vegetables....usually onion, carrot & celery, but you could certainly use any you like, then cool.  I mix the cooked vegetables with panko & regular bread crumbs, seasonings like marjoram, chervil (whatever I happen to grab from the pantry), chopped parsley & thyme from my garden and buttermilk.  I add one egg per 2 pounds of meat.  If I was using tomato sauce, this is when I would add it, but you can leave it out and it's still tasty. When everything is mixed then I add the ground meat, hamburger and breakfast sausage in my case, and mix until everything is incorporated evenly.  I usually take a small amount and make a patty, fry it up to taste and test for seasoning.  That way you know if you need more salt or want another herb.

Then I just form into a loaf and put it in the refrigerator to firm up so it holds it's shape.  I bake on a rack so the fat drains off (remember, I'm using breakfast sausage and it has extra fat), starting at 450° for 15 minutes to seal, then drop to 350° for 45 minutes or until done.

Heck, you are SO creative....you'll have no problem coming up with something fabulous!

If I were making them to take for a buffet meal, I'd make them in muffin tins or just free-form small football shaped loafs for individual servings.

*****Go to the site Norm recommended, "foodily.com".  You can request a recipe for meatloaf "without" tomato.  It has lots of ideas.  

thanks Beth, the idea comes together now, piece by piece, and I planned to make them in muffin tins, then top with mashed potato on top, just like cup cake with frosting , I'm going to surprise them, I'm going to say that we are eating cupcakes for dinner ( my friend made them and when I saw the pics, at first I could not tell that they were meatloaves instead of cupcakes), and now I'm worried if I could pipe my mashed pot perfectly on top of my meatloaf cupcakes, I've never ever done that, well.. we'll see

You'll do fine.

Everything you make is 'picture perfect' !!!

And the Stovetop stuffing has lots of flavor added so that's a real plus, too. Tell Tina I like her great idea, better than adding a package of Onion Soup Mix to the meat to season it up.

After all of the fancy meatloaves I have made, Roomie gave me a recipe for meatloaf that she got off Facebook. It is Roomie's and Joe's favorite. It can be made into muffins.

Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf

2 pounds ground beef (15 to 20 percent fat content)
1 medium yellow onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 3/4 cup), excess liquid discarded
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 ounce)
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fine, seasoned or unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
7 thick-cut bacon slices

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and turn up the edges of the foil to catch the grease as the meatloaf cooks; set aside.
Place all of the ingredients except the bacon in a large bowl. Using clean hands, mix everything until just combined (don’t squeeze or overwork the mixture).
Transfer the mixture to the center of the prepared baking sheet. Using your hands, form it into a 9-by-5-inch loaf. Drape the bacon slices diagonally over the loaf, laying them side by side, trimming as necessary, and making sure that the entire surface of the loaf is covered. Bake until the bacon is just starting to crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°F, about 50 minutes.
Set the oven to broil and broil until the bacon is completely browned and crisp, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing.


© 2012 DVO

bethk wrote:I saute some vegetables....usually onion, carrot & celery, but you could certainly use any you like, then cool.  I mix the cooked vegetables with panko & regular bread crumbs, seasonings like marjoram, chervil (whatever I happen to grab from the pantry), chopped parsley & thyme from my garden and buttermilk.  I add one egg per 2 pounds of meat.  If I was using tomato sauce, this is when I would add it, but you can leave it out and it's still tasty. When everything is mixed then I add the ground meat, hamburger and breakfast sausage in my case, and mix until everything is incorporated evenly.  I usually take a small amount and make a patty, fry it up to taste and test for seasoning.  That way you know if you need more salt or want another herb.

Then I just form into a loaf and put it in the refrigerator to firm up so it holds it's shape.  I bake on a rack so the fat drains off (remember, I'm using breakfast sausage and it has extra fat), starting at 450° for 15 minutes to seal, then drop to 350° for 45 minutes or until done.

Heck, you are SO creative....you'll have no problem coming up with something fabulous!

If I were making them to take for a buffet meal, I'd make them in muffin tins or just free-form small football shaped loafs for individual servings.

*****Go to the site Norm recommended, "foodily.com".  You can request a recipe for meatloaf "without" tomato.  It has lots of ideas.  

That sounds like such a great idea. We have a pot luck dinner in our building in two days. I have bought the meat for a meatloaf and have been looking at both recipes and thinking of how to best serve it. I am going to prepare the mixture today, and bake a single one in a muffin tin just to try it. That way I can see how I like the flavour and timing etc. THANKS for the suggestion!

I took that same recipe I posted and substituted turkey for the beef and it was good. Not dry at all. I did make a glaze instead of using bacon.