Secret Ingredient Meatloaf

 

Grandma handed down her famous meatloaf recipe and I have made it at least once a week since. I recently kicked it up and notch and added a fun twist… eggs in the middle! Eggs add something pretty awesome to a standard meatloaf. They are light and airy compared to a dense loaf of hamburger meat and the contrasting textures taste absolutely amazing.

I have heard a good many people say that only meatloaf they are interested in is the band.  I say, let’s settle this over some dinner.  This is it, the ultimate in comfort food.  Why do some turn away from this amazing meal?  Probably because they are doing it wrong, or their mom did.  So, how do we turn a blah meatloaf recipe into something amazing?  It has to be juicy, saucy, and full of flavor.

This meatloaf will knock your socks off!  It has all of the aforementioned requirements.  The seasoning in this meatloaf recipe is simple.  A little hamburger mixed with onions, freshly cracked eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, milk, Worcestershire and some crushed up crackers.  Simple right?  It’s all in the details.  For this recipe, we start by kicking up the flavor a notch by caramelizing the onions before we mix it into the ground beef.  Throw everything together in one pot and get mixing.

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH THIS MEATLOAF RECIPE?

Let’s be honest, meatloaf is a heavy meal and we know you can’t eat just one slice!  However, depending on how many people you have to serve, you might want this meal to stretch a little further.  I would recommend pairing it with my baked parmesan shoestring fries or garlic potato wedges.  You could simply serve it up with some green beans or sweet corn as well if you wanted something a little lighter.

TIPS TRICKS AND VARIATIONS

WHAT KIND OF MEAT SHOULD I USE FOR THIS MEATLOAF RECIPE?

Ground beef comes in many forms, you could go extra lean, or full fat.  Marbling in meat generally equals more flavor so you can be the judge, but you can use any variation.   For this meatloaf, I used a lean ground beef. (actually from our own butchered cow)

CAN I MAKE A MEATLOAF SANDWICH WITH THIS RECIPE?

Yes!  The trick to making this meatloaf recipe “sandwich worthy” is to pack the meat mixture tighter.  Generally speaking, for a lighter texture, I do not recommend packing the meat too tightly.  For sandwiches though, you can really get in there and pack it in.  The tighter the better.

DO I HAVE TO USE BARBEQUE SAUCE?

No, there are many variations out there for the tomato sauce on top.  I would stick with ketchup, although you could mix in a little sriracha ketchup if you like it spicy.  For the barbeque sauce, you could use brown sugar instead.  The flavor you are going for has a sweet tang and ketchup mixed with brown sugar will work in the same way.

DO I HAVE TO USE THE EGG?

Not at all. You can skip it all together or, throw some mozzarella in the center for a cheesy meatloaf.

CAN I MAKE THIS MEATLOAF AHEAD OF TIME?

You can!  The meat mixture and the sauce for the top can all be made a day in advance.  I would hold off on the eggs because you want them soft.  If you don’t mind a hard boiled egg then you can make that in advance as well!

Just look at that fun surprise!!! Not only do the eggs look delicious, but they taste amazing too! Your family will get excited about meatloaf again!

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups onions chopped
• 1 cup milk divided
• 1 cup Ritz crackers crushed
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 5 or 6 soft boiled eggs I boil extra just in case one
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup sweet barbeque sauce

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