Beautyfash Blog: Sweet and Savory Meatloaf

I have been wanting to come up with a nice and flavorful meatloaf recipe for the longest time and finally decided to give it a try last Sunday and I am so glad I finally did. At first I wanted to do a traditional meatloaf using ground beef, pork and veal but then it was decided that the simpler the better. I used ground beef this time and can't wait to play around some more and try using ground turkey or ground chicken.

Ingredients:

For the meatloaf:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 small red pepper, grated

1 small onion, grated

1-2 cloves chopped garlic

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon dried sage

Pinch of hot pepper flakes

For the glaze:

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons fruit preserves {I used cherry!}

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon white wine or apple cider vinegar

Freshly cracked pepper

Start by preheating your oven to 350.

{One of the qualities I knew my meatloaf had to have was super duper tenderness. And to achieve that, I grated the pepper and onion to add to the moisture of the meat. I think this was key in having a meatloaf that had unbelievable texture.}

{You could also use a food processor if you have one. I really need to consider getting one. Though I do love to chop and prep the old fashioned way. :)}

{Once you have your pepper and onion grated, melt the butter in a skillet with the olive oil over medium high heat.}

{Add your onion and pepper to the butter/oil mixture, season with a pinch of salt and let this saute for about 3 minutes.}

{Add your chopped garlic and let saute for a minute more.}

{Season this with the seasoned salt and sage. Let it saute for a minute more.}

{Add your breadcrumbs to this onion mixture and stir to combine.}

{Add in your Worcestershire sauce. I think this is another key ingredient. It gives the meatloaf such a savory flavor! Mix this and remove from the heat.}

{Instead of free forming a loaf, I decided to use a loaf pan, prepped with cooking spray, to mold the meat.}

{Add your ground beef to a large mixing bowl.}

{In a smaller bowl, make your wet binding mix. The beaten egg, the milk, parsley and red pepper flakes.}

{To the ground beef, add the onion/pepper/breadcrumb mixture and your egg/milk mixture.}

{Mix this well.}

{Add the meat mixture to the loaf pan. I was careful in not pressing it down too much, which would result in a tight {tough} loaf.}

{Turn the loaf out on a baking dish {with high sides as the fat from the meat will make some drippings.}

{Bake this uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for a total of about 50-55 minutes {or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees}. After about 15 minutes, start to layer the glaze on the loaf. :)}

To make the glaze:

{To a small pot, add your ketchup and brown sugar.}

{Add in your vinegar {I used white wine}.}

{Add your Dijon mustard.}

{And your honey.}

{I decided at the last minute to add in these cherry preserves. YUM! Any fruit preserves would work just as well, really. It cooks down in the glaze giving it a sweet and fruity undertone. So good!}