How to Make Basic Meatloaf

How to Make Basic Meatloaf  is about the old fashion meatloaf recipe like Maw Maw used to make. And it is certainly good Southern comfort food at its core.

I think meatloaf is one of those meals that has lost its appeal to the younger generation who relish in saying they enjoy eating lean meats like ground chicken and ground turkey.

Some even profess the yumminess of grilled salmon and seared tuna.  Not me.

Then there are those like one of my own children that think fast food hamburgers are “Da Bomb”.

Sure some of these foods can be tasty and probably good for you and some not so good for you.

But it’s the old faithful favorites like a homemade meatloaf that make a family meal special.  Especially when I can get my grandchild to mix-up the meat for me. 

Watching a popular shopping channel for a few minutes today, they were selling a special new-fangled meatloaf pan that had a special lift out tray for the ease of removing the meatloaf from the pan and the number one feature is that the lift also has holes that allows the natural meat juices and oil to flow to the bottom of the pan and prevents the meatloaf from soaking in the natural fat from the ground beef.

Well you know what, that all sounds like an ingenious invention: handy, healthful, and useful.  However, any meats natural flavor is in the fat that the meat contains.

We use a quality 95% lean ground beef; which creates very little excess fat in the bottom of the meatloaf pan.  The 5% fat content that we do have keeps the meatloaf moist and tasty without creating a mess or the feeling like your arteries are clogging up.

A good meatloaf also makes for some yummy sandwiches the next day.

We have baked this meatloaf in the oven, but my Maw Maw actually cooked her meatloaf in a slow cooker; which made the meatloaf so soft and moist it just melted in your mouth.

How to Make Basic Meatloaf: Ingredients

1.5 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup minced sweet onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons Creole mustard (optional)
1 small can (6 ounce) tomato paste
Canola spray oil

Seasonings

1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon salt

How to Make Basic Meatloaf

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, add the minced sweet onion, garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, 1/2 can of tomato paste, and Creole mustard.  Mix well.

Add in the lean ground beef.

Using your hands, blend in the stuffing mixing by folding and kneading almost like working bread dough.

You want to mix well without working the meat too much which can cause the meat to become tough.  

Shape into a loaf.

Place the meatloaf into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with canola spray oil.

Place the load pan in the oven on a cookie sheet in order to catch any possible spatter.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Carefully remove the loaf pan from the oven and then take the other 1/2 of the tomato paste and add water to the can.

Stir well.

Then, spread the tomato paste across the top of the meatloaf.

Place back in the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.

The temperature should reach at least 180 degrees F.

If not fully cooked inside, return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.

Once done, let the meatloaf sit for a few minutes before slicing.

Use a cake server to aid in lifting from the loaf pan.

There is nothing better to go along with meatloaf than homemade mashed potatoes and sweet English peas. In fact, Mike will only eat peas with meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Note:  Feel free to add other ingredients such as minced carrots, minced celery, or green peppers.  I think the key to having my children eat meatloaf is to not let the onions and such so large that they are visible.  Even I don’t like to see big chunky onions in a meatloaf.

Serves: 4
Prep Time:    20 minutes
Cook Time:    60 minutes

P.S. – Looking for something a little different for your meatloaf? Check out our Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf recipe.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf Recipe

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Cajun Cooking TV features Beryl Caillouet Stokes and her grand-daughter Addison cooking up some good eating Cajun recipes from their kitchen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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The Cajun Cooking TV show airs on local Baton Rouge, Louisiana channel WLFT MeTV channel 30.1 and on Cox cable channel 117 on Tuesday mornings at 10 am.

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7516 Bluebonnet Blvd # 179
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