I learned how to make the *best* meatloaf in the world years ago from the book Nourishing Traditions
I had never made meatloaf before, and was flipping through the pages looking for something to make for dinner that my meat loving husband would like. And one that we could afford. He would eat a beef roast dinner every night if he could but that just isn’t possible 🙂
As it turns out…if you were to ask him what his favorite dinner that I make is – this is it! I think every bite he took that first night we had it, he commented how good it was. To this day, if I ask him if he wants anything special on the dinner menu for the week, this is what he asks for.
Put this one on your weekend menu this week – your family will love it!
- 2 lbs grassfed ground beef
- 4 TB friendly fat to cook in (butter, coconut oil, lard)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped (I buzz the all the veggies in the mini food processor to chop them up small and fast.)
- ¼ tsp chili flakes – more if you like more kick
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 ½ cups bread crumbs (I just dry out the ends of my soaked bread or bakery sourdough and grind them up into crumbs – I keep them in the fridge for when I need them)
- 1 cup organic cream (stay away from ULP)
- 2 eggs
- Organic ketchup to “frost” the top (watch ingredients – no HFCS)
- Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in the friendly fat with a pinch of salt to bring out their juices and sweeten.
- Add the chili flakes, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir in for a minute.
- Put the sautéed veggies in a large mixing bowl to cool off a little.
- Put the bread crumbs and cream in a separate bowl to soak in well.
- In the large mixing bowl with the sautéed veggies, add the beef, eggs, and soaked bread crumbs and combine well with your hands.
- Put the meat mixture in a large loaf pan (ungreased), and press in.
- “Frost” the top of the meat with the ketchup.
- Add 1 cup of water to the top of the meat – DO NOT SKIP THIS PART – it will be dried out if you don’t do this! It looks crazy but trust me – don’t leave it out 😉
- Bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours. Let it rest a few minutes before cutting.
Kitchen Tips:
- Looks like a lot of steps but it comes together very quick. You can get it into the pan in the morning before work or even the night before so all you have to do is stick it in the oven when you get home. I usually make it up during the girls’ naptime and put it in when I’m ready. Just cover it and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.
- Ground beef is one of those meats that you can really “hide” nourishing organ meats like liver or heart in. I do this on occasion – and no one ever notices. If you are recovering from illness, have children, or have just had a baby, the iron and nourishment from pastured organ meats is SO important. Ask your pasturing farmer for liver or heart – they will have it. You can grind it up and put a good ¼ pound in this dish.
- HERE is my soaked bread recipe if you want to try it out – I usually save the ends of bread or if we just haven’t gone through the bread for the week for drying out to grind into bread crumbs. After the dry out on the counter just keep them in the fridge or freezer in a bag and pull them out when you need them.
YOUR TURN!
What is your hubby’s favorite meal?! Let me know what you think if you try out the recipe!
This post was shared at Real Food Forager’s Fat Tuesday and The Polivka Family’s Family Table Tuesday!
a simple real food recipe :: rustic mashed potatoes
February 6, 2013 at 10:00 am[…] they are alongside some nourishing meatloaf, or your roasted chicken dinner, I say enjoy your mashed […]