Dear SooN COOKS of the Internet,
If you are an adult in my family and you have a birthday, I will not buy you a gift. Instead, I will throw you a dinner party and make any recipe you choose. That’s the deal.
Now. Most of the time people select one of my more complex favorites like LASAGNA or BEEF SHORT RIBS. Undoubtedly, my mom will pick a seafood dish – usually with shellfish. However, for my father’s 73rd birthday, his choice was MEATLOAF.
“Meatloaf???? Why?!?!?” I remember thinking almost immediately.
If you read START HERE then you know that was probably because when meatloaf made an appearance at my childhood dinner table it was only after the frozen brick of meat was cooked on high for 7-10 minutes. (If you didn’t read it, check it out for background on me and SooN LIVING’s origin). It was usually a Jennie-O Turkey Meatloaf and was often paired with instant mashed potatoes, previously frozen peas and topped with powdered turkey gravy. (YUM is an understatement.)
This explains why I literally had NEVER made or eaten meatloaf as an adult. Plus the name itself sounds so UNAPPETIZING. I mean, Meat + Loaf doesn’t exactly scream Michelin star…
New to SooN COOKING?
For a food blog, I know the approach is unconventional. There are two very specific reasons why. Click here to find out more.
After double confirmation that the text didn’t auto-correct from something more exotic (or personally appealing), I set out to learn all I could about making meatloaf. Because friends, you can bet that if I was going to have to make meatloaf and then serve it to other people − it was going to be the best damn meatloaf in history.
A brief summary of my research:
- Meatloaf is typically a mixture of ground beef, breadcrumbs and spices (seemed simple enough).
- Meatloaf is most frequently served with Mashed Potatoes. (No issue, though they would not be instant mashed potatoes!!!!)
- Many people serve meatloaf with gravy OR a frosting like
layer of ketchup on top. (I decided instantly to go gravy.)
So with that background in mind, I came up with the SooN COOKING ORIGINAL below. Rave reviews from the birthday boy. Though, he once ate an entire bowl of cereal with chunky sour milk and didn’t notice. I’m not sure if he would ever find any dish bad − he is my human garbage disposal.
Happy SooN COOKING!
Get Setup for Success
This post contains affiliate links which doesn’t impact YOUR customer experience. What it means is that when you buy something AFTER clicking on the links THEN the merchant may pay me a commission for the traffic and revenue generated from that sale. To forgo the affiliate process, you would need to separately search for the hyperlinked items listed below on the internet. Curious to learn more about this process? https://soonliving.com/start-here/legal/ has the full details.
Suggested Hardware
- Kitchen Aid Mixer or
other stand mixer (substitute bowl and wooden spoon if you do not have a stand mixer) - Cuisinart or
other food processor (use the chef’s knife if you do not have a food processor) - Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Silicone spatula
- Loaf
pan - Meat thermometer
- Cole & Mason Salt and Pepper Grinder Set
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb other meat product such as lamb, buffalo or venison
- 1 cup bread crumbs (preferably panko)
- 1 egg (preferably farm fresh)
- 1 TBS Lea & Perrins® Worcestershire Sauce
- 1
tbs minced shallot - 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced (for garnish)
- ~2 TBS minced garlic cloves (~6-8 cloves cut fresh or use the equivalent in frozen or fresh
prepack ) - 2 TBS Italian Herb Mix (either fresh minced oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, a dried Italian herb blend, or my favorite − Italian Herbs stir-in paste)
- 1 TBS fresh chopped Italian parsley (for garnish)
- 20 turns salt (~1/2 tsp)
- 20 turns pepper (~1/2 tsp)
- Cooking spray
Other Critical Information
I always aim to balance the plate with a main, a vegetable and a carb/starch side. I served the sliced meatloaf on a bed of Mashed Potatoes and topped it with Sautéed Mushrooms and Brown Gravy. For the vegetable, I used Sautéed Spinach but it would also pair well with Shredded Brussel Sprouts, Sautéed Kale or a Baby Kale Caesar Salad.
New to SooN Cooking?
No problem! Some quick background on the concept: I love to cook and realized that I often had to adjust my meal plan to
Check out the SooN Cooking About page for the complete details.
Choose your SooN ADVENTURE™
SooN COOKING Original
- Prep all the ingredients which require chopping or mincing and combine. I usually put the whole shallot, 3 garlic cloves, rosemary, oregano and parsley into the Cuisinart and process until it looks “minced”. I then slice the other 3 garlic cloves using the chef’s knife and set aside for later. These are for the top of the meatloaf.
- Put the meat, Worcestershire Sauce and egg into the Kitchen Aid and mix using the dough hook attachment until it is combined evenly.
- Add the breadcrumbs and ingredients from the Cuisinart and continue to mix until combined evenly, ~2 minutes.
- Use the cooking spray to coat the loaf pan
- Transfer the meat and evenly distribute it throughout the loaf pan.
- Now top the loaf with the sliced garlic.
- Bake at 375° F for 60 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160° F.
- Broil on low until the garlic on top reaches desired crispiness, ~2 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let
loaf rest for 5 minutes.
SooN COOKING Express
The SooN COOKING Original recipe is as fast as I can make it!
SooN COOKING Vegetarian
It’s MEATloaf. I served the vegetarian a grilled portabella mushroom. This was simple and paired nicely with the side dish of mashed potatoes.
Not familiar with a Vegetarian diet? Learn more using the SooN LIVING Dietary Requirements Decoder.
SooN COOKING Kosher
Make sure to use Kosher certified products when serving this dish to someone who keeps Kosher. Then follow the SooN COOKING Original recipe which is obviously meat. I can’t imagine mashed potatoes without dairy so I would pair it with Sauteed Greens and Simple Roasted Baby Potatoes.
Not familiar with a Kosher diet? Learn more using the SooN LIVING Dietary Requirements Decoder.
Looking for Something?
Search SooN LIVING and let us know if you don't find what you are looking for!
SooN COOKING Halal
Make sure to use Halal certified products when serving this dish to someone who follows a Halal diet. Then follow the SooN COOKING Original recipe.
Not familiar with a Halal diet? Learn more using the SooN LIVING Dietary Requirements Decoder.
SooN COOKING Celiac
Lea & Perrins® Worcestershire Sauce states that it is gluten-free. However, there are some reviews out there about it still making people who are super sensitive sick. Ask your guest if they are allergic to Worcestershire Sauce. If they are super-sensitive I recommend skipping it.
Another call-out is that most panko bread crumbs are not gluten-free. If you are serving this dish to someone with Celiac, make sure to buy gluten-free panko bread crumbs like Ian’s. Then follow the SooN COOKING Original recipe.
Not familiar with a Celiac diet? Learn more using the SooN LIVING Dietary Requirements Decoder.
SooN COOKING for One
If you want to make a single portion, here are the steps:
- single square food mold
- 1/4 lb ground beef
- 1/4 lb other meat product such as lamb, buffalo or venison
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs (preferably panko)
- 1 egg (preferably farm fresh)
- 1/4 TBS Lea & Perrins® Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 TBS minced shallot
- 1 small garlic cloves thinly sliced (for garnish)
- 1 tsp minced garlic cloves
- 1 tsp Italian Herb Mix (either fresh minced oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, a dried Italian herb blend, or my favorite − Italian Herbs stir-in paste)
- 1 sprig fresh chopped Italian parsley (for garnish)
5 turns salt (~1/8 tsp)
5 turns pepper (~1/8 tsp) - Cooking spray
Follow the directions in the SooN COOKING Original recipe and enjoy!
SooN COOKING for Kids
I was pretty surprised to learn my kids LOVE meatloaf. I thought they were going to reject it but they each had seconds. I do always serve them the sides and encourage them to try them even through they don’t like anything green and had this odd aversion to Mashed Potatoes which I simply do not understand.
If your kid is not into the meatloaf you could try disguising it as a hamburger by wrapping it in a bun. Then pair it with
Become An Official SooN LIVING Fan*
Learn how to tame YOUR chaos with exclusive content, productivity hacks and the occasional funny story.
*A low-risk time commitment; unsubscribe anytime.
Feedback? Input? Questions?
We cannot wait to hear from you!
1 Comment
Submit a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Your comment about your dad eating sour milk with his cereal is hilarious. What about the time he ate wilted lettuce and called it the best salad ever. I can personally say the meatloaf was great but agree that your dad’s taste buds should never be used to judge a recipe.