Goldilocks Kitchen Meatloaf
Wanna make your family happy? Serve Goldilocks Kitchen Meatloaf for dinner tonight.
Are you looking for a classic American comfort food recipe that’s easy and delicious? You’ve gotta try The Goldilocks Kitchen’s take on Meatloaf. My family gobbles the whole loaf up every time I make it!
The History of Meatloaf
Fun facts: the first mention of a meatloaf-like recipe is from ancient Roman times! Meatloaf then pops up again in history as a recipe for the medieval culinary scrap heap- a way to use up scraps of whatever fruits, meats and seasonings to stretch food for as long as it will go. In 1800’s America, modern Meatloaf really began to take shape for what we know it as today, and then became a staple for hard working, money saving American families during the great depression, which made meatloaf the rustic yet classic comfort food that it is today, ketchup and all! Click here for an even more detailed history if you’re still curious :0)
How to make Meatloaf
Meatloaf is a mixture of at least two types of meats mixed with a paste of milk and bread, herbs and seasonings, which are then ground together, pressed into a special meatloaf pan and baked with a glaze on top. My Goldilocks Kitchen Meatloaf recipe produces a moist and well seasoned loaf with a perfectly crunchy crust and savory glaze that will satisfy any meatloaf craving you have.
For this recipe, you’ll actually make the sauce first, so it’s ready to use at the right time in the recipe. It’s a simple mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. Once that’s out of the way, you can bust out the food processor and whip up this loaf in no time! If you don’t have a food processor, you can definitely still make this recipe, it will just require a little elbow grease, a large bowl and spoon, and a little more time.
Start by mixing saltine crackers and milk in the processor until just little itty bitty bits remain. The crackers and milk act as a sort of ‘binding’ or ‘glue’ for the meatloaf called a ‘Panade‘. This panade also helps the meat to retain moisture when baking so it doesn’t get too dry.
Next we’ll enhance our panade with the classic flavors of worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and my favorite meat seasoning, Weber’s Steak and Chop seasoning. We’ll also process in an egg to help further bind the meats together.
Now we’ll add in ground beef and pork along with minced fresh parsley. Try to use fresh parsley in this recipe if you can, dried parsley will just disappear into the meat and impart very little flavor.
Once your meatloaf mixture is all thoroughly mixed together, press it into a meatloaf pan sprayed with cooking spray, as shown below. Some pans will claim to be ‘nonstick’, but I always spray mine to be sure. Plus I don’t want the meatloaf glaze to become permanently glued to the pan either.
Once you have your meatloaf mixture pressed into the pan, blast it with the broiler for about 5 minutes to form a nice crust on top. Remove the loaf from the broiler and pour meatloaf glaze over the top. I don’t pour it all- I like to leave a little to drizzle over freshly sliced loaves when serving them for dinner. Spread the glaze evenly over the loaf.
Broil the meatloaf again with the glaze on top for a couple of minutes, then switch your oven to bake to 350 degrees and bake the meatloaf for about 45 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees F.
Remove and let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving with the leftover glaze. I also like to spoon a bit of drippings from the bottom of the pan and drizzle over the sliced meatloaf as well.
Meatloaf is one of those classically iconic American dinners that you just can’t escape, so you might as well make it stinkin’ delicious and serve an outstanding comfort food meal for your whole family to enjoy! Please rate and review this recipe and help out future readers, Thanks!
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Goldilocks Kitchen Meatloaf recipe
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
An easy, moist, delicious Meatloaf with a perfectly crunchy crust and sweet tangy glaze with a little kick. This Meatloaf is well seasoned and so full of flavor, you will give thanks that you’re not a vegetarian.
Ingredients
Glaze
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 or 3 dashes of tabasco sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
Meatloaf
- 16 Saltine crackers
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons of Weber Steak and Chop seasoning
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Mix all Glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Remove 1/4 cup of glaze and set aside for serving with the finished meatloaf.
- Set your oven to heat to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor, add the crackers and milk. Process until crackers are in small bits and coated in milk, about 8-10 seconds. Add into the bowl the worcestershire sauce, egg, Dijon mustard, and Weber seasoning. Process until a smooth paste forms.
- Break the ground meats into chunks and add to the food processor along with the minced parsley. Process until thoroughly mixed and meatloaf mixture clumps together on one side. Press into a sprayed meatloaf pan and smooth out the top.
- Broil the top of the meatloaf for 5 minutes on high. Remove from the oven and pour the glaze over the top and evenly spread it around. Broil the meatloaf again for another 3 minutes.
- Remove from the broiler and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice loaf and serve, passing the reserved glaze to drizzle over the slices.
Notes
If your local supermarket deli sells meatloaf mix, you are welcome to use 2 pounds of meatloaf mix in this recipe instead of the ground beef and pork.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice of 8
- Calories: 344
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 593 mg
- Fat: 8.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.8 g
- Protein: 35.4 g
- Cholesterol: 116 mg
I am definitely going to try this….I will let you know how my family likes it. Thanks for sharing. This is a recipe that I have never tried before.
Meatloaf is one of those classic throwback recipes that’s still delicious today- I think Mike will like it ;0)