This Meatloaf Recipe is a delicious blend of beef, pork & sausage when combined with spices & red wine makes a unique flavour profile sure to delight.
Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been combined with other ingredients and formed into the shape of a load, then baked.
This dish can be cooked as individual serving meat loaves or 1 bread pan sized meatloaf and then sliced to serve in whatever size you prefer.
Meatloaf History
Meatloaf is a traditional German, Scandinavian and Belgian dish, and it is a cousin to the Dutch meatball. American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since colonial times.
See the full article at Meatloaf – Wikipedia
There are many National variations of Meatloaf from the Austrian version called faschierter Braten, meaning minced roast to Turkey called dalyan Kofte which is typically filled with carrots, peas and whole boiled eggs or Vietnam where it is called cha and it is boiled rather than baked or smoked. There are many versions of cha that differ in the ingredients used.
Meatloaf recipe Ingredients
I enjoy the combination of three types of meat, with the sausage meat adding another level of flavour, you can use any type of sausage meat you prefer, I use Sweet Italian sausage with basil.
1 Small Onion, Chopped
1/2 pound Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 tsp Fresh Thyme, Chopped
1/4 cup Red Wine
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
1/2 cup Crushed Tomatoes OR Tomato Paste
1/2 pound Lean Ground Beef
1/2 pound Lean Ground Pork
1/2 pound Sausage Meat
1 Large Egg
How to Make It
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease the baking dish(s) you are planning to cook your meatloaf in.
- Pulse onions and mushrooms in a food processor until fine and evenly blended.
- Heat sautée pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add mushroom mixture and cook, stirring often, until all liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and thyme and stir one more minute. Add red wine and cook until liquid again has evaporated. Season to taste and set aside to cool.
- Stir bread crumbs and crushed tomatoes in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl blend beef, pork and sausage with eggs, salt and pepper. Add tomato soaked bread crumbs to meat and stir in, then blend in mushroom mixture.
- Spoon meatloaf filling into prepared tins or casserole dishes and bake covered for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes uncovered until an internal temperature of 170 degrees is reached.
- Alternatively meatloaf recipe can be prepared in a 8″ inch loaf pan and baked for about an hour in total, covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for the remaining 15 minutes
They key to making a solid meatloaf is ensuring the correct ratio of bread crumbs and eggs to the amount of meat you are using. These ingredients are key binding agents and if they are not correctly matched, your meatloaf runs the risk of being crumbly and falling apart.
Making Ahead
Meatloaf is a great dish that can be prepared ahead of time and frozen until needed. Raw meatloaf should last several months in the freezer.
I like to double my recipe and prepare two meat loves at a time, freezing one for later.
To freeze place a layer of plastic wrap inside your pan with enough excess to wrap your meatloaf when almost frozen. Gently press your meatloaf snugly into the pan and place in your freezer for approximately 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the freezer, and then remove your partially frozen meatloaf from the pan by pulling out the plastic wrap, wrapping it completely in the plastic and then with a layer of foil wrap. Return to the freezer until ready to use.
According to the USDA, previously frozen meat can be frozen again provided it was originally defrosted in the refrigerator. If not, then the meatloaf must be cooked before freezing.
Leftovers
Meatloaf is a great leftover and reheats quite well. Leftovers should be eaten with 1-2 days. I like to place my leftover meatloaf in an oven proof dish, add some water and cover. This will help to keep your meatloaf moist while it is warming. I would place this in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 – 30 minutes depending on the size and if it has come directly out of the fridge.
Leftover meatloaf will freeze quite well and can be saved for up to 3 months. You can thaw your frozen meatloaf overnight in the fridge or you can take your meatloaf from the freezer directly to the oven. This will take a lot longer to heat through but is a great option if you find yourself unprepared at dinner and need a fairly quick and easy solution.
Meatloaf
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 8 Rectangle Shapped baking pan OR
- 6 Individual Serving Sized Casserole Dishes OR
- 1 8" Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Small Onion, Chopped
- 1/2 pound Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 clove Garlic, Minced
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme, Chopped
- 1/4 cup Red Wine
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Crushed Tomatoes OR Tomato Paste
- 1/2 pound Lean Ground Beef
- 1/2 pound Lean Ground Pork
- 1/2 pound Sausage Meat
- 1 Large Egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease the baking dish(s) you are planning to cook your meatloaf in.
- Pulse onions and mushrooms in a food processor until fine and evenly blended.
- Heat sautée pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add mushroom mixture and cook, stirring often, until all liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and thyme and stir one more minute. Add red wine and cook until liquid again has evaporated. Season to taste and set aside to cool.
- Stir bread crumbs and crushed tomatoes in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl blend beef, pork and sausage with eggs, salt and pepper. Add tomato soaked bread crumbs to meat and stir in, then blend in mushroom mixture.
- Spoon meatloaf filling into prepared tins or casserole dishes and bake covered for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes uncovered until an internal temperature of 170 degrees is reached.
- Alternatively meatloaf recipe can be prepared in a 8" inch loaf pan and baked for about an hour in total, covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for the remaining 15 minutes
