Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf Recipe (gluten-free)

Now before you roll your eyes and start scrolling off to somewhere else on the internet, hear me out. I didn’t grow up on meatloaf, so when I made it, I didn’t know it was supposed to be excessively greasy, dry, and be forced upon a family at least once a week. Okay, I’m kidding, but seriously, this stuff is darn delicious and doesn’t fit meatloaf stereotypes. This recipe is full of flavor, easy to whip up, and is one of Derek’s favorites.

Just interested in the recipe? Skip straight to it.

My mom didn’t really make meatloaf. She made it once or twice and it wasn’t anything memorable (so neither good or bad). However, I got caught at friend’s houses on meatloaf night more often that I would’ve liked, and boy, can some people really ruin an appetite. When I used to think of meatloaf, the adjectives that came to mind were similar to the ones I would use to describe a grocery store fruitcake.

I’m sure you can imagine the look of sheer horror on my face when Derek asked if I could make meatloaf. The horror was washed away with disbelief when he said it’s one of his favorites. Being the ah-mazing partner that I am, I looked up some recipes, decided a lot of them were under-seasoned and overcooked and decided that I would just combine almost all the seasonings different recipes called for into one
M E G A – M E A T L O A F.

My plan was to eat some cereal that evening and let Derek eat the Franken-loaf I created. Derek loved it so much he asked me to make it several more times and at this point, I think I’ve gotten it down to a science (a delicious science even I’ve come to enjoy). So for all those meatloaf loathers out there, I know where you’re coming from, but this thing is pretty darn delicious.

On a completely unrelated note, you do not have my permission to shape this beautiful dish into a horrifying body part. While looking up reference pictures for photography inspiration, I came across multiple stomach-turning photos of meatloaf shaped into body parts. I’m not going to show them here and deface my gorgeous creation, but I swear if one of you takes this recipe and makes it into a foot with onion toe-nails, I’m gonna block you. If you are interested, here is a link to the monstrosities I speak of.

On to the recipe!

Recipe

Not Your Mama's Meatloaf

Servings: 4-6 or one 8x4 loaf
Time: prep: 25 min, cook: 55min
Difficulty: Easy
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A meatloaf unrivaled. Delicious, moist, and not denser than a log.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. Ground Beef (I used 80/20, but you could get away with 90/10)
1/2 a small yellow or Vidalia onion, diced small
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs (or cracker crumbs, just try to get them really fine, this is what I used)
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon Red Robin Seasoning (or any burger/fry seasoning you like, here is a recipe to make your own)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (like the cruddy kind that comes in a green container)
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Add pepper to taste

– For the Sauce –

1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce (gluten-free/tamari)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Saute the onion and garlic. In a medium frying pan, bring the oil to medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 10-15 minutes until gummy, soft, and starting to color. If they start to dry out, and a teaspoon of water and keep cooking on low.

3. Prepare the loaf. Add all remaining ingredients except the ingredients for the sauce into a medium-sized bowl while the onion and garlic saute. Once the onion and garlic are done sauteeing, add them into the bowl. Using a fork, gently mix the ingredients together (helps keep it light and moist). I like to start by sort of folding the ingredients together, and then will mix about 6-7 times regularly (in circles), then go back to folding, and repeat until mixed. Don’t overdo it, but make sure everything is well mixed. This process will make sure you don’t overwork the meat (can become dry and tough).

4. Shape the loaf. Once you have finished making the ground beef mixture, lightly oil an 8″x4″ loaf pan. Place the meat into the pan by taking spoonfuls of meat mixture and gently spreading them somewhat evenly into the loaf pan. Once all the meat is in there, begin to press down somewhat lightly to get it into the corners, but don’t smash it in there (keep a light touch to prevent it becoming dense). I like to round off the top of my loaf by pushing down the edges more than the center (when it cooks the center will drop giving you a nice shaped top instead of a valley).

5. Make the sauce. Make the ketchup sauce by combining all sauce ingredients into a small bowl and mixing thoroughly with a spoon. Once the ingredients are well blended, pour the ketchup sauce over the meat mixture in the loaf pan and evenly spread it around using the back of the spoon (you can use less sauce if you don’t like a lot of ketchup, but you definitely won’t need any on the side with this recipe). I like to keep more sauce on the top of my mound compared to the edges as the sauce will move toward the edges as it heats up.

6. Bake loaf. Place the loaf pan into the oven for 55-60 minutes. When finished, remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes (it will fall apart if you cut it too soon).

7. Enjoy! After the meatloaf has cooled a bit, slice into the sucker and enjoy!

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