Friday FUNdamentals: Meatloaf

It doesn't get much more 'all American' than meatloaf. Meatloaf is kind of a blank slate- you can use whatever kind of ground meat you want (beef, pork, lamb); and can add everything from cheese, to bbq sauce to vegetables. There are even adorable little meatloaf cupcakes you can make with mashed potato 'frosting' on top.

That's too cutesy for the Cool Dads Crew. We just want to give you a solid meatloaf recipe that will impress others. This is a basic, tried and true recipe that will satisfy the pickiest of palates. Sawyer in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen even announced, "I love when you make meatloaf- it's my favorite meal of the week!" We don't know where this recipe originated from, but we've been making it for so long we've just claimed the recipe as our own.

Mama's Meatloaf

2 eggs

1/2 cup ketchup

1 cup bread crumbs

1 envelope onion soup mix

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup ketchup for top

 

Preheat oven to 350. 

Wisk eggs and 1/2 cup ketchup. 

 

 

 

Stir in bread crumbs, soup mix, pepper and garlic. 

 

 

 

Add meat and mix. At this point, it's completely acceptable to mix in the meat using your hands (wash your hands first). Don't overwork the meat too much, or you're going to end up with dry meatloaf. Work all the ingredients together until they're well combined. Form into 8 loaves. 
Arrange in a 15x10x1 foil lined pan. Make sure to wash your hands really well after this step. Remember: one of the Cool Dads Rules is to prevent cross contamination!

 

 

 

Bake until internal temp is 160.  About 25 minutes. 

 

 

 Let stand 10 minutes.  This is important! When you initially remove the meatloaves from the oven, the texture might not seem right (it may still seem raw). This is why it's important to take the temperature and let the loaves rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes the meat will "firm up" a little. Spoon ketchup over meat loaf. 

 

 

Notes from the test kitchen:

 

1) The original recipe calls for two pounds of ground beef. Feel free to mix it up- we use a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork. You can totally keep it simple and just use two pounds of ground beef.

 

2) Notice how the baking sheet we used has edges on it? This is important... if you don't pay attention to another detail, please pay attention to this one. Use a cookie sheet or baking dish with edges. Meatloaf creates a crazy amount of grease; and you DO NOT want to create a grease fire in your oven. Please, use a baking implement with edges.

 

3) For all you Sconnies out there... we used a super secret ingredient last time we made meatloaf. Instead of ketchup, we used Secret Stadium Sauce. It was absolutely delicious. We can't recommend that substitution enough.

 

4) We served our meatloaf with some of our cheddar bread, sautéed swiss chard and steamed green beans. You can go traditional and make mashed potatoes, or go a little healthier and serve it with steamed veggies- the choice is up to you.

 

No matter what you serve the meatloaf with; please know it's going to be the star of the meal. This is one of those easy, delicious meals that will satisfy everyone.

 

We hope you're enjoying Friday FUNdamentals as much as we are!

 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew