Jan 23, 2007

Meat Loaf

This American staple is best suited with a medium-bodied red.
See SAVEUR's recommended Medium-bodied Red Wines

Credit: Christopher Hirsheimer

SERVES 6 – 8

The secret to making a light meat loaf is to handle it as little as possible.

3 tbsp. olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 lbs. ground chuck
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 large egg
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. ketchup

1. Heat olive oil in a medium sauté pan over low heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine chuck, tomato sauce, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, and half the onion–garlic mixture, and stir just enough to mix.

3. Place meat in a 3" × 7" loaf pan and round the top with your hands to form a crown. Top with remaining onion–garlic mixture and drizzle with ketchup. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove meat loaf from oven and let set about 10 minutes, for easier slicing.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #4

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Ratings & Reviews (7)

by rmc2 on 2008-05-07

excellent and very moist meatloat. but i added 6 more cloves of garlic, so a total of 8 which i mashed; 1/2 tsp smoked (not the hot one) paprika, and 1 1/2 salt and some black pepper. i like garlic a lot but if you add all 8, believe me, it won't make it garlicky.

by slapshot41 on 2009-12-16

I actually used less than 3 lbs. of meat...about 2 3/4. I had it in the oven for 45 minutes, and realized it wasn't cooked all the way through once I started slicing (after the 10 min. rest). I think the time in the oven needs to be longer. It was also foolish of me not to use my trusty in-oven thermometer.

Otherwise, after I tossed it in the oven again and cooked it through, it tasted good and I'd definitely try making it again.

by CASA-GIARDINO on 2010-11-15

2 lbs. of meat would be sufficient. In addition to the onion and garlic, I would saute' few red and green peppers for flavor. I would not use the ketchup, as the tomatoes are enough to keep the meatloaf moist. And finally, it takes minimum an hour to cook a good meatloaf.

by trishinomaha on 2010-11-18

Sorry. This is not the meatloaf of my childhood. Dry, flavorless - except for all the onion and garlic. We salted, added more Ketchup. The cold meatloaf sandwiches were worse than when it was first cooked. Leftovers are going in the trash - not good in this economy. Look for a better recipe than this one - we sure are!

by rnelson on 2012-05-09

This was a liquidy disaster

by AMBEARLY on 2013-01-19

This meatloaf did not have much flavor. I agree with one of the other posters that it only needed two pounds of meat. The recipe said to cook the loaf in a 3x7 pan. I put it in a 5x9 loaf pan and it barely fit in the pan. It also took almost 2 hours to cook. Definitely will not make this recipe again.

by BUDDYW on 2013-03-20

I use 1 lb of ground chuck, 1/2 lb of ground pork and 1/2 lb of ground veal.. I use 1 cup of panko bread crumbs, 2 eggs, 8 ounces diced mushrooms(crimi), I/2 medium spanish onion diced, salt and pepper to taste, garlic powder 1 tsp. the ground pork keeps it moist for me. Cook at 350 for one hour but I also suggest the use of a oven proof thermometer set at 165 degrees so I can pull the meat loaf. I also use a brown gravy in lieu of ketchup

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