Oh meatloaf how do I make thee? Let me count the ways.
How do you make a good meatloaf? There are about as many meatloaf recipes as there are cooks who make it. In fact some of the best meatloaves don't have a recipe. They are the ones that cooks put together with the items they happen to have on hand at the time. The most simple meatloaf recipes involve only a handful of ingredients: minced meat, liquid, spices, and filler.
Simple meatloaf recipes, classic to exotic
Start with the bare bones meatloaf recipe. Pretty simple recipe don't you think? The classic meatloaf involves a few more ingredients, but really is still a very simple recipe.
Bare bones meatloaf
1 kg minced meat
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup tomato sauce
salt & pepper
- Combine all the ingredients.
- Shape in a loaf pan.
- Bake at 180°C for one hour.
Classic meatloaf
1 kg minced meat
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
3/4 cup ketchup, split 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup
1/2 cup milk
1 onion, chopped fine
1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- Mix all together, reserving 1/2 cup ketchup.
- Put in a loaf pan, frost with remaining ketchup.
- Bake at 180°C for one hour.
Ingredients for meatloaf
In general leaner meats are best, but if you use meat with a higher fat content simply drain the fat off after the loaf is baked. Try making your meatloaf with one of the following or going with half beef mince and half of another kind of meat.
Match your spices with the other ingredients. The choices are unlimited.
You don't need to put anything on top of the loaf before baking, but it does add flavor and visual appeal.
Variations of the classic recipe
As good as classic meatloaf may be, we all like a little variety now and again. The bare bones meatloaf and classic meatloaf recipes are easily adapted to create a wide variety of tastes. Change up the meat, the liquid, the filler, the spices, and/or the topping to create a new favorite from the classic model. You may have to adjust quantities slightly when using different ingredients. Just remember that you want to be able to form the mixture into a loaf.
| Ingredients for meatloaf - just mix and match. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Meat | The Liquid | Spices | Topping | Filler |
|
Beef mince |
Ketchup |
Italian spices |
Bacon |
Bread crumbs |
Here are some ideas.
Tamale loaf - Add one can of corn, use cornmeal instead of bread crumbs, and add chili powder.
Barbecue loaf - Barbecue sauce in the loaf and top with bacon!
Asian loaf - Use turkey mince, rice, teriyaki sauce, and season with ginger and garlic.
Mediterranean loaf - Use lamb mince, half lamb, tomato sauce, rice, and fresh herbs.
The possibilities for making meatloaf are never ending. Whether you like the traditional beef and ketchup, or prefer to add variety to the old classic, meatloaf is a simple and delicious main dish to serve whenever you fancy comfort food.
You could consider our minced beef Stroganoff as a meatloaf for one.
