Gluten-free Meatloaf
I think we can agree that meatloaf is a staple in the diet of many American households. It’s cheap and easy to make. I started making meatloaf back in Jr. High after finding a fairly easy recipe in one of my mother’s recipe books. My brother and sisters loved when I made meatloaf. They would constantly come into the kitchen asking, “Is it ready yet?” repeatedly. I will attempt to you give you that original recipe (since there have been many alterations since then) along with my alteration I made over the weekend to be gluten-free.
Meatloaf
1 pound ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
pizza sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, beef bouillon dissolved in water, salt, and pepper into a large bowl and mix together thoroughly with your hands. Place into a meatloaf pan, loaf pan, or other baking pan. If you are using the latter, make sure to give some shape to it. Bake for 45 minutes. Take out and top with pizza sauce and put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Once I got comfortable with this recipe, I was able to add things to it like minced veggies, spices, herbs, minced onions, etc. I really started to play with it when after several years of making this, my husband informed me he really didn’t like it. Now that I’m gluten-free, meatloaf was something I stayed away from because of the difficulty I have with gluten-free bread. It all tastes pretty funny to me and to crumble it up and add it to meatloaf seemed like sacrilege. So, I played around this weekend and this was what I came up with.
Gluten-free Meatloaf with Mashed potatoes and Sesame Slaw.
Gluten-free Meatloaf
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1 cup beef broth
1 egg
1/4 cup minced onion
1 cup homemade marinara
2 tablespoons ground flax
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350. Add all ingredients but 1/2 cup of the marinara to a bowl and mix together well with your hands. Pat the mix into a meatloaf pan or loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Take out and top with the reserved marinara and bake for 10-15 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Yes, I used ground flax. May seem odd, but it is sometimes used as a binder and it boosted the nutritional value of the meatloaf with its Omega-3s. The meatloaf fell apart just a little when I was taking it out to serve. However, when I went to cut up the rest and put in containers for lunches, it didn’t fall apart at all. I either needed to add the flax to the broth first and let it thicken or let it sit a little longer before cutting. Ground flax absorbs liquid just like bread does. At least I know what I need to try for next time. Other than that, I found it pretty tasty.
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