Meatloaf

There was a time, years ago, when Meatloaf was my go-to Sunday dinner for my family. It usually was accompanied with potatoes (either baked or mashed), another veggie, and dessert. Yum.

While it's been a while since I've made meatloaf, it still brings back good memories. In honor of that, here are six meatloaf recipes to get you through the day, including Easy Homemade Meatloaf and Athenian Meatloaf with Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce. Enjoy!

CHEESY TACO MEATLOAF

This comes from Campbell's Soup, and begins, “It takes just 10 minutes and a few ingredients to put together this scrumptious meatloaf...and when it comes out of the oven you've got two family favorites, tacos and meatloaf, combined into one tasty dish!”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 1 hr 15 minutes; Serves: 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef

1 jar (16 ounces) Pace® Chunky Salsa or Pace® Picante Sauce - Medium

1 1/2 ounces tortilla chips, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

1 egg

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Set the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly mix the beef, 1 cup salsa, tortilla chips, egg, chili powder, salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Place the beef mixture into a 3-quart shallow baking pan and shape into an 9x4-inch loaf.

Bake for 1 hour or until the meatloaf is cooked through.

Spread the remaining salsa over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

MOM’S TURKEY MEATLOAF

This comes from Ellie Krieger of the Food Network’s Home Cooking.

Total: 1 hr 30 min; Prep: 15 min; Inactive: 15 min; Cook: 1 hr; Yield: 8 (1-inch thick) slices; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/moms-turkey-meatloaf-recipe-1946007.

Ingredients

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup skim milk

1 medium onion, peeled

2 pounds ground turkey breast

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together the oats and milk. Thinly slice 1/4 of the onion and set aside. Finely chop the remaining onion. In a large bowl combine the turkey, oat mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix just until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the sliced onions. Bake for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees.F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing.

OLD-FASHIONED MEATLOAF

This comes from Verywellfit, and begins, “This lighter meatloaf recipe is similar to the one most of us enjoyed during our childhoods, but without all of the extra fat. Choose a lean ground beef or, better yet, ground turkey to cut down on the fat. And since you can't make meatloaf without breadcrumbs, why not replace the white, unrefined with whole wheat for added fiber? Also, using two egg whites in place of one whole egg will reduce the calories and fat while still helping to bind the mixture together.”

Total Time: 70; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Servings: 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground meat (85% to 90% lean, or ground turkey)

1 cup breadcrumbs (whole wheat)

1/4 cup onion (finely chopped or 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes)

2 cloves garlic (minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup water (or low-fat milk)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Mix well, using your hands, but don't overmix because you will toughen the meat.

Turn mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for about 1 hour.

To be sure the meatloaf is done, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the center of the loaf. The temperature should register 155F when it is done.

About 10 to 15 minutes before you think the meatloaf will be done, you can cover it with barbecue sauce if you like.

International Meatloaf

If you are looking for a different kind of meatloaf, try kofta kebabs, a Middle Eastern grilled ground meat recipe. The spices in this meat mixture (traditionally lamb) are a delicious change of pace from the usual. If you don't have the time or inclination to place them on skewers, you can make them into oblong-oval shapes that look like sausages without the casings.

TURKEY MEATLOAF

This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking email. Sam wrote, “This is a recipe that helps explain the Twitter-era term ‘humblebrag.’ I made it for the celebrated writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron after a different recipe resulted in a disaster and I had to discard the result with only a few hours before my dinner with -- did I mention? -- Nora Ephron. It derives from a meatball dish once cooked by the chef Mark Ladner at the restaurant Lupa in Manhattan, and published as a recipe in Details magazine in the early years of the century. I scaled it up over the years, increasing some spices here and there, lessening others, until I had what I thought to be a pretty terrific meatloaf. But don't take my word for it. ‘This is remarkable,’ Ms. Ephron told me. I'm bragging about it still.” Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

This was featured in “Potlucky” and can be viewed online here.

Note: This recipe calls for 1 cup red wine. If, like me, you don’t keep wine or any alcohol around the house, I imagine you could replace this with 1 cup water. Yes, this will affect the taste a little, but it’s do-able.

Ingredients

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup fresh bread crumbs of any provenance

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup whole milk

1 pound ground turkey

1 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casing removed, crumbled

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces bacon, chopped

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, seeds removed

1 cup red wine

1/4 bunch mint

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine 2/3 of the garlic, the rosemary, pepper flakes, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add the milk and mix. Add the turkey and sausage and mix once more to combine; don’t overmix. Transfer onto a board and shape into a fine meatloaf, about 9 inches long and 4 inches wide.

Place in a baking pan with high sides (a 9 x12 pan with 2-inch sides works well), drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway through to brown evenly. Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, fry the bacon in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until it starts to curl and its fat is rendered. Add the onions and remaining garlic, cooking until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil.

Pour the sauce over the meatloaf, cover tightly with foil and bake until a meat thermometer inserted at the center reads 150 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the meatloaf to a platter and let stand, tented with foil, for 10 minutes. Cut into thick slices, spoon tomato sauce over the top and scatter with torn mint leaves.

ATHENIAN MEATLOAF WITH YOGURT-CUCUMBER SAUCE

Makes 8 servings

Source: TBC

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1258.shtml

Ingredients

2 pounds 96% lean Ground Beef

1 cup soft bread crumbs*

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup 2% milk

1 large egg

1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons dried Greek seasoning, divided

1 cup low-fat or regular Greek-style yogurt

1/2 cup diced cucumber

* To make soft breadcrumbs: Tear several slices of fresh bread (French or whole wheat work well) into 1-inch pieces and pulse in a blender or food processor to make coarse crumbs. One slice of bread yields about 1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine Ground Beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly.

Shape beef mixture into 10 x 4-inch loaf on rack in broiler pan. Bake in 350F oven 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, until instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 160F.

Meanwhile, combine yogurt, cucumber and remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons Greek seasoning in medium bowl. Set aside.

Let stand 10 minutes; cut into slices. Serve with cucumber-yogurt sauce.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 187; Protein: 26 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 240 mg; Cholesterol: 95 mg; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Dietary Fiber: .4 g; Carbohydrates: 6 g

EASY HOMEMADE MEATLOAF

Servings: 6

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/45.shtml

Ingredients

1 egg

2 tablespoons green pepper, chopped fine

2 cups lean ground round (15% fat or less)

1 teaspoon salt

2 slice bread, cubed fine

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 cup catsup

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1/3 cup onion, chopped fine

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients well.

Form into a loaf.

Place in foil-lined 5x9 pan.

Bake until done (15-20 minutes).

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 258; Protein: 7 g; Fat: 15 g; Carbohydrates: 7.5 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Bread; 3 Lean-Meat; 1-1/2 Fat