Ahhh, meatloaf.
For years I have been making it with turkey and I love it. But I made this recipe recently and I have to say, for the first ever in my life I actually did’t mind eating beef. It was pretty good.
Now. The people in my life who normally enjoy and love eating beef, loved this meatloaf.
It could be partly because of the amazing beef I was able to use for it. I bought a quarter of a cow this past summer and meat is phenomenal. The difference between store bought beef and local farm raised, well I can’t even describe it. There is no comparison. They taste like completely different animals.
But I am sure the recipe is wonderful even with store bought meat.
I really loved that you bake in on a rimmed baking sheet. I thought it very strange at first but decided to give it a try and I am glad I did. It sure shortens the cook time by quite a bit and it seemed a little easier to clean up. I just put a silpat on my baking sheet and then everything just wiped right off when I was washing it.
- 3 slices (1 ounce each) whole wheat bread, torn into very small pieces
- 1¼ cups milk
- 2 pounds ground beef chuck
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup store-bought marinara sauce
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- Preheat the oven to 375˚.
- Place the bread crumbs in a bowl and pour the milk over, allow to soak while you get the other ingredients together.
- Next combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, parsley, egg, thyme, oregano and marinara sauce in a bowl and mix to combine. I just use my hands, it's easier than a spoon.
- Then add the bread crumbs and all the milk and 2 teaspoons kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Once the mixture is all combined, place on a rimmed baking sheet (I lined mine with a silpat, parchment paper would work as well) and shape into a loaf about 2½ inches thick.
- Bake until a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 160˚, about 30-35 minutes.
- Allow the meatloaf to rest about 10 minutes before serving.
TO MAKE THIS A FREEZER MEAL - This is awesome. So make the meatloaf mixture and then place it in a gallon ziptop bag, shape it in the bag, and then freeze it.
- When ready to eat, remove from the bag and stick it in the crockpot on low for 10 hours.
- NOTE: The original recipe recommended pouring an additional 1½ cups of marinara sauce over the top about half way through baking, but since my whole family loves putting ketchup on theirs I decided against doing that and so I didn't include it in the instructions but feel free to give it a try if that sounds good to ya!
Adapted from: http://marthastewart.com
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