Thursday, March 4, 2010

Mmmm....Individual Meat Loaves for Foodie Friday

     I don't make meat loaf often. Mine has never been bad, but it hasn't been anything to blog about! My husband loves it and while I don't eat a lot of beef, once in a while it sounds good. So, I went searching for meat loaf recipes I could adapt to our tastes. I found one that is good, really good. It just isn't blog picture perfect, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway.

     I started with an Ina Garten recipe. Don't you just love her? She makes good stuff! I made a few small changes because at our house we avoid onions whenever possible. I'll tell you what the original recipe said and you can decide, but my way was really good.

Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
1 stalk celery chopped (not in Ina's recipe)
1 yellow pepper chopped (not in Ina's recipe)
Ina used 3 cups of chopped yellow onions instead of the celery and pepper...that's a lot of onion.
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. Worcestershire sauce (Ina used 3)
1/3 cup canned chicken broth
1 T. tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
2 slices whole wheat bread baked in the oven until crisp, crumbled (Ina used Progresso dry bread crumbs)
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup ketchup




Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a sauce pan cook the celery, pepper, thyme, salt and pepper (or onion if you prefer) in the olive oil until tender (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and add Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth and tomato paste. Set aside. In large bowl, combine ground chuck, bread crumbs, eggs and slightly cooled celery/pepper mixture and mix until blended. You can use a fork or clean hands.


Divide the mixture into 6 or 8 small loaves on a sheet pan. Drizzle with ketchup and bake 40 to 45 minutes. I baked ours a little longer because we like our meat really done.



I served them with homemade mashed potatoes (no, I don't peel them) and brocoli slaw. I know they aren't "company" perfect looking. They got a little brown around the edges, but we liked that part. The chicken broth adds extra moisture without changing the flavor. I'll be making these again.




Please visit our hostess Michael at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday. You will find some of the best recipes in all of Blogland!


28 comments:

Blondie's Journal said...

I like your alternative to all of the onion (and it does sound like a lot). We eat meatloaf a lot more now that I do half ground beef and half turkey. An extra egg and broth keeps it nice and moist. Let me know if you'd like my recipe.

xoxo
Janie

Haden News said...

So funny....I made these last night!! lol I made them by Ina's recipe...we loved them, but I love onions...your changes sounded great. Happy Foodie Friday!

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

I really like the idea of individual meat loaves. They would also cook faster! These look yummy. I am a carnivor so these really sound good to me.
Yvonne

Red Couch Recipes said...

I love individualized portions of things and these look really good! Joni

Glenda/MidSouth said...

They sound wonderful. I really need to come up with some new ideas - tired of the same thing.
Enjoy your weekend.

Unknown said...

These look wonderful...I sometimes will do my meatloaf recipe in individual loaves....something about individual servings I always like. Any recipe from Ina is a winner.

Blessings!
Gail

Maya said...

I don't eat meat..., but I thought I'd say hello anyways with my new blog (and some sea inspired cooking).

Rettabug said...

I've got the cutest little loaf pans that this would work in! Thanks for the idea to make little individual meat loaves. Brilliant!

Tammy@InStitches said...

Yum ! You post the best recipes.

dee dee said...

My kids were just talking about meatloaf the other day! This must be a sign! Looks delightful!
Dee Dee

Unknown said...

This sounds delicious!Will have to give this a go. Have a wonderful weekend!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Gosh, that looks good, Sue! I'm starved now!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Rattlebridge Farm said...

Love your addition of celery and yellow pepper. And what a fantastic idea to make individual loaves!
XX00

The Charm of Home said...

This looks divine. I just love meatloaf. Would be great warmed up to.

The Fajdich Times said...

I like the celery and pepper. Nice touch:)

Unknown said...

YUMMMMYYYYY!!!!

Maria said...

Hi Sue!
What a great recipe! I love the "individual" size too... I occasionally make Rachael Ray's Turkey stuffin' meatloaf. I make them small (dinner for two size) ... sometimes I bake them in large muffin cups for easy freezing etc.

The homestyle potatoes must have tasted great!
Oh and I checked out those biscuits...
I just ordered my favorite tea (a blend of Stash) from Amazon... Got it for a cheaper 'subscription' price (free shipping without having to spend $25-albeit easy to do ;o)
Have a relaxing weekend~ Maria

Lexie said...

mmmm! i love meat loaf! your recipes remind me so much of my mom's cooking. it makes me happy!

Glennis said...

I love meatloaf, and I like the idea of small individual ones.

I do a lot of improvisation when I cook, and in addition to using celery and peppers like you do, I've been known to add other veggies I happen to have leftover. Once I had some leftover cooked collard greens, so I spun them in the food processor until they were finely chopped, and added them to the meat loaf mixture. It turned out pretty good. I also mix ground turkey, beef, or whatever I happen to have. One time I had a few leftover pepperoni slices, so I chopped them fine in the processor and added them.

The best thing about meatloaf for me? Cold sandwiches the next day for lunch! Mmmm!

Journey said...

I'll try your recipe. I make meatloaf (individuals) often. Grandkids love them and they are easy for cold meatloaf sandwiches.

I miss your midwest adventures and all of the neat places in the area.

Mary Bergfeld said...

These really do look wonderful. I stopped by to say hello and stayed longer than I planned. You have a lovely blog. I'll be back often. Have a wonderful day...Mary

Gigi Thibodeau said...

My husband would love these! I need to make them for him. Thanks for the recipe, Sue!

Glad you had a spring-like day, too. We needed it, didn't we?! xo Gigi

Gypsy Heart said...

Looks delicious! I rarely eat red meat, however, these look good and I like the size. Love Ina, however, that does seem like a lot of onion...and I do love onions. :-) Thanks for sharing! Oh, and the mashed potatoes are to die for I know.

xoxo
Pat

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

I am so late making the rounds, but oh do these look sooooooooo good. I could probably eat 2, I love meat loaf and my family hates it. I sometimes make a small one just for me. Great recipe. Thanks also for stopping by and always leaving such gracious comments. Hugs, Marty

Chrissy...The Apothecary Shop said...

Oh I think my boys would love those...lots of those!! Hope you had a good weekend,Chrissy

Terri Smith said...

Sure enjoyed your visit today over at my place! But what I'm enjoying now is the delicious meatloaf recipe. I'll for sure be putting this together for supper tomorrow! My husband loves a good meatloaf and enjoys the sandwiches that turn up the following day for lunch just as much!

Blessings, Joy and Sunday Sunshine, Terri

nannykim said...

These are so cute!! Neat idea.

Angie said...

I love meatloaf. What a great idea to make the mini-loaves. I'm going to have to give this one a try - thanks for sharing!