Gluten Free Classic Meatloaf

I don’t know if I was like most kids growing up. In the case of loving meatloaf my whole life, I feel like maybe I wasn’t the typical child. Meatloaf was one of the few recipes my mom cooked better than my dad. My dad is most definitely the cook of the family, but my mom always made meatloaf just right.

Anytime I mentioned I had meatloaf for dinner back then, and even now, I would get a face of confusion or disgust. I think the idea of a loaf of meat turns some people off, but its nothing more than a large hamburger baked and sliced. Not to mention, it is the ultimate comfort food for me. Anything I can dip in ketchup, and oh yes, ketchup is a key ingredient, I am all about.

Whether its a cold night and you aren’t in a soup mood, or you are just craving the feeling of home, a classic meatloaf is just what you need. Over the years I have made that same meatloaf recipe my mom always prepared for me. However in recent years, I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe I grew up with. The first was to reduce the amount of A1 steak sauce in the recipe, the A1 is a key flavor in the dish, but in large amounts it can overpower. The second, was to make it gluten free. 🙂 I find using gluten free ingredients makes you feel better about the meals you are consuming. Also my best friend requires a gluten free diet, so I love finding ways to transform dishes so she can enjoy as well.

Let’s get to it. One of my ultimate comfort foods, Meatloaf!

The Process:

Preheat the oven to 375, and spray loaf pan with regular PAM Cooking Spray.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Then, with clean hands, mix all ingredients together until fully incorporated.

Form the meat into a loaf, and place into your loaf pan. I use a meatloaf pan, rather than a bread loaf pan, as it has a double pan to help excess fat drain away. But a regular bread loaf pan will work as well.

Then, mix together the ketchup and brown sugar topping and spread over the meat loaf.

Bake for 1 hour, or internal temp reaches 160 degrees.

Remove from the loaf pan, slice, and enjoy! Meatloaf is terrific on its own, (maybe dipped in ketchup:) ), or on a sandwich!

Enjoy!!

Recipe

xoxo,

birdbelly