Thursday, March 11, 2010

Barefoot Bloggers: Individual Meat Loaves


I'm a big fan of meatloaf so I was happy to see this choice. I looked at the recipe though and it seemed like a pretty standard meatloaf. The only thing that seemed a little out of the ordinary was the amount of the onions and the fact that you pre-cook the onions.

After making these I can honestly say I have no idea what people commenting on these are raving about. Not that there was anything wrong with them - they just seemed pretty ordinary to me. Maybe I have spoiled myself but most good meatloaf recipes I have used have more than one type of meat, maybe some bacon, and probably something better than ketchup on top. I am clearly in the minority from what I see in the comments on foodnetwork and the barefoot bloggers that have done this so far. I might make this again in the future and try to dress it up a bit but it is definitely not my favorite meatloaf.

Thanks to Tonya at What's on my Plate for this selection. She has a very varied blog. A lot of vegetarian cooking (obviously not all if she chose meatloaf) and even has an entry on making your own butter.
Individual Meat Loaves
Serves 6

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon good olive oil
  • 3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
  • 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
  • 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan.
  3. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown.
  4. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly.
  5. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meatloaf will be dense.
  6. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion.
  7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through. Serve hot.

7 comments:

Peggy said...

Todd I totally agree with your post. They were not the most special meatloaves. Having said that, I loved them, but I think I prefer run of the mill meatloaf. They were fun to make the individual ones I thought! Have a great day!

Eva said...

I have to agree. These were OK but nothing really special or different. I guess it's good for a basic meatloaf but whatever.

Karen said...

That just goes to show that a lot of people must have only had sub-par meatloaf in the past, like my husband and I! I can see how this recipe could be taken to another level.

Kim said...

I thinking cooking the onions is an intregal part to making meatloaf tasty. Another recipe by Tyler Florence does the same thing. I'm sure you could sneak in all kinds of cooked veggies this way, if you wanted to.

Tonya @ What's On My Plate said...

Thanks for participating! On further reflection (after eating leftovers) I think this meatloaf is pretty yummy but they weren't life changing. I did like how the loaves were very moist though.

Joe Ambrosino said...

The recipe seems ok with the exception of the Progresso bread crumbs which I find totally unremarkable. Instead, I would cut up some good Italian bread, reggiano parmagiano cheese, fresh parsley, oregano and s&p and process them. I'm not a meatloaf guy, but I agree with you that the addition of 1/2 ground pork and your own breadcrumbs would make a difference.

TKW said...

Ohmigosh! Dude! You liked them? I had to tinker with the recipe and I still thought--eww. But I hate meatloaf, so go figure. My husband liked them a lot!

I agree--nothing special!