The Ultimate Meatloaf

This recipe for ultimate meatloaf begins with a mixture of sautéed vegetables, combines both pork and beef, and finishes with a glaze on top. For a dish that doesn’t excite many people, this one will make you a fan. Whether it’s made for a weeknight meal or a weekend celebration, it’s a great recipe for any dinner!

Why this recipe works.

Meatloaf is either a meal that will either bring dread or delight. The dread would come from a memory of dry, tasteless, and dense meatloaf. The type that nightmares are made of. Enter the ultimate meatloaf. This recipe transforms ground meat into a flavorful main dish that is impossible to become dry or tasteless. The key to becoming ultimate is sautéing minced onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms. The vegetables cook down and gain a deep flavor that melts into the meat. Once the vegetables are mixed with the meat and seasonings, the second key is breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs mix with milk to trap moisture in the meatloaf and keep the baked dish tender. This recipe has one additional step with cooking vegetables, but the result will prove that this makes the best meatloaf full of flavor.

Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.

• Carrot, celery, and onion are finely minced and sautéed. Cooking them removes excess moisture and deepens the flavor of the vegetables.
• Mushrooms are minced and sautéed with vegetables. Once cooked, mushrooms take on a rich meat-like flavor that enhances the meatloaf without anyone knowing mushrooms are added.
• Tomato paste is cooked into the vegetables until it becomes dark-colored and begins to caramelize, adding a depth of sweetness.
• Ground beef is the traditional meat for meatloaf. Choose good quality meat for the most flavor.
• Ground pork offsets the beef with a slightly lighter flavor. This gives a balance to the flavors without anyone overpowering them.
• Breadcrumbs are essential for keeping the meatloaf tender. Use fresh or dried crumbs.

Here’s how to make this recipe.

1. Prepare the vegetables. In a food processor, add the onion, celery, mushrooms, carrots, and smashed garlic cloves. Process the mixture in pulses until the vegetables are finely ground but are not a paste.

2. Cook the vegetable mixture. To a saucepan set over medium heat on the stovetop, add 2 tbsp butter. Pour the chopped vegetable mixture into the pan along with the salt. Mix the vegetables into the salt and butter and allow it to sauté for 8 to 12 minutes. When most of the moisture from the vegetables has cooked off the bottom of the pan, add in the minced thyme and tomato paste. Mix those two ingredients into the mixture and allow it to cook for an additional 4 to 6 minutes. When the mixture looks dry and turns a darker brown color, remove it from the heat, and let it cool down slightly.

3. Mix together the meat and spices. In a large bowl, add the eggs and mix them until beaten. Then add the ground beef, ground pork, Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and beef stock. When the cooked vegetable mixture has cooled down, add it to the meat mixture. Using a spoon or your hands, combine all ingredients until homogenous.

4. Shape and glaze. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread out the combined meat mixture, shaping it into an oval. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and Dijon mustard and mix until combined. Then spread the ketchup glaze over the top of the formed meatloaf, using a brush to ensure it is evenly distributed.

5. Bake the meatloaf. Place the meatloaf in the preheated 350°F oven and bake for 45 to 60 minutes until fully cooked at 160°F. While the meatloaf is baking, some of the grease from the meat will seep out onto the parchment. Simply remove this grease or move the meatloaf to a different serving platter.

These pro tips will make this recipe a success.

• When processing the vegetables, make sure that they are finely diced but do not become a paste. If the vegetables are processed for too long, they’ll break down further than is desirable for this recipe, and too much water content will be exuded, making them pasty. Process the vegetables until they are crumb-like in texture.
• Make sure that the cooked vegetable mixture cools down to approximately room temperature before adding it to the meat mixture. In terms of food safety, adding a hot mixture to the meat could make for an unsafe environment.
• While it’s optional, mixing together the ingredients with your hands will ensure an evenly combined mixture. If using a spoon to combine everything, pockets of meat or vegetable may remain unmixed. But if using your hands, you can feel the texture of the entire mixture and will find any unmixed sections.

You’ll love these other dinner recipes.

• One skillet lemon chicken with orzo and kale
• Meat sauce with spaghetti
• Savory squash hand pies
• The best beef and noodles
• Kielbasa with cabbage and apple
• Grilled flank steak with garlic scape chimichurri
• Spicy peanut noodles
• Creamed asparagus on toast
• Sheet pan meatloaf
• Jodi’s pizza meatloaf