I know what you’re thinking, “meatloaf, honestly?” But its one of those classic favorites that I just need to have every once in a while. This isn’t your great aunts boring meatloaf featured at the holidays that’s dry and crumbly. This guy is packed with some surprise veggies, and topped with a spicy tomato based sauce and it definitely is never dry.
I like loading this meatloaf up with veggies just for the extra nutritional benefit. But additionally to that, it gives it more flavor. I’ve done both with ground turkey and ground beef – heck, do half and half for all I care. Either way, you should give this a try this week.
I start first by roughly chopping or chopping in a food processor celery, carrots and onion. I like mine to be in smaller bites – so it blends in better with the meat, but if you don’t have a food processor, hand chopping will work just as good. In a medium sized bowl mix veggies, a pound of ground beef or turkey, and add in oats, an egg and seasonings. Either free form the loaf on a baking sheet, or use a bread or meatloaf pan (or go crazy and put them into a muffin tin for personal sized ones!)
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees, and then let’s start on the sauce. Quickly whisk together maple syrup, organic ketchup, sriracha and tomato paste. That is it! I pour about 1/3 of this mixture over the top of the meatloaf before placing into the oven. It generally cooks in about 30 minutes, and I add a little more of the sauce every 10 minutes. The result? A nutrient packed, flavorful, sweet and spicy meatloaf. Pair with a salad, mashed potatoes, or even better in a meatloaf sub sandwich.
Sweet + Spicy Meatloaf (GF/DF)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
¾ cup chopped carrots
2 chopped large celery stalks
¼ cup chopped onion
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 egg
½ cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
Sweet + Spicy Sauce
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup organic ketchup
2 teaspoons sriracha
2 teaspoons tomato paste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor, or by hand, finely chop onions, carrots and celery.
In a medium sized bowl mix together thoroughly chopped veggies, oats, egg, ground beef/turkey and seasonings. Free form into loaf shape on a baking sheet or press into a bread/meatloaf pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients. Using about 1/3 of the mixture, pour over meatloaf. Place in oven.
Every 10 minutes, pour a little more sauce on top of meatloaf until mixture is all used. Total cook time around 30 minutes.
Xx
Rita