Couple of Coconuts

This is a perfect recipe for meatloaf with grass-fed beef that can be easily tailored according to how much beef you’re using. The spice ration is per pound, so double, triple or quadruple the recipe according to how hungry you are! It’s juicy, flavourful, contains grass-fed beef as well as delicious and healthy tomato sauces. My mom came up with the brilliant idea of making meat loaf patties and BBQing them – YUM or what? It’s one of the meals I now cheer for when she says it’s for dinner!

What makes a meatloaf perfect?

• Juicy
• Slices hold together yet breaks apart when you put your fork into it
• Juicy whether you’re eating a piece from the edge or the middle
• Flavour that lingers at the end of a bite

What beef should I use for meatloaf?

I recommend lean or extra lean grass-fed, ground beef. Fat definitely adds flavour, but too much of it and your meatloaf will literally be swimming in fat when it’s done. That’s more than I can handle, but a small amount is perfect.

Why grass-fed beef?

Making meatloaf with grass-fed beef is ideal for several reasons. This Healthline article reviews research done on the differences between grain and grass-fed beef. The major one is that grass-fed beef has up to X5 the amount of omega-3 fatty acids and X2 CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid).

According to Harvard Health the main reason they’re more desirable is “they contain low or no growth hormones compared with grain-fed beef.”

Because grass fed cows meander all day in the field eating grass, rather than being confined to a stall, they tend to have leaner meat than grain-fed cattle, which means fewer calories.

If you are local to Southern Ontario, I shamelessly recommend purchasing grass-fed beef from my brother’s family. Find them on Instagram #bendyriverfarm

How many pounds of beef does it take?

If you are using a traditional loaf pan, use up to 2 lb of beef.
If you are using a 9X13″ pan because you’re either feeding an army or you want leftovers, use 4 lb of beef.

1 kg = 2.2 lbs

Tomato Sauce

Use whatever tomato sauce (preferably organic) you have on hand. We have used anything from an organic pasta sauce, to salsa, to homemade ketchup. Tim loves the salsa mix while I prefer homemade ketchup which has a hint of clove flavour (delicious with beef).

Preparation tips

1. Dice the onion as fine as you can
2. Mix the meat and ingredients VERY well
3. An Italian secret is to pack the meatloaf into the pan lightly. You want cracks in the meat so that the juices are able to seep through cracks allowing the flavour to distribute evenly. This is true with meatballs, too.
4. Spread leftover tomato sauce on the top of the meatloaf before baking to create a seal that locks the moisture in the meat. Adding sugar and balsamic vinegar can help it to caramelize, although we never add sugar because… we just don’t need more sugar in life.

Cooking tips

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and leave the meatloaf in there for the first 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for the rest of the bake.
2. Overcooking the meatloaf will result is a dry and crumbly loaf, although this recipe is very forgiving.
3. Cook the meatloaf until it has a central, internal temperature of 170°F, approximately 1 hr 15 minutes for 2 lbs of beef

Meatloaf Perfection with Grass-Fed Beef

This Perfect Meatloaf recipe is per pound of beef. Increase the quantities according to how large of a batch you want to make.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground beef
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• ⅔ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 small egg or 1 large egg / 2 lb of meat
• ⅓ cup red onion finely diced
• ⅔ cup oats
• ⅔ cup tomato sauce homemade, pasta sauce, or even salsa if you wish!

Optional

• ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup fresh herbs, like curly parsley, rosemary or oregano finely chopped (or 1-2 tsp mixed dried herbs)

Topping

• ½-1 cup tomato sauce according to size of meatloaf

Equipment

• Oven

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix VERY well.
3. Gently press the meat into a parchment paper lined pan. You want cracks so the juices can evenly disperse through the loaf.

   Use a loaf pan for up to 2 lbs of beef

   Use a 9X13″ pan for 3-4 lbs of beef
4. Pour tomato sauce on top and spread it evenly over the loaf until there is a thin covering. Amount will vary according to size of loaf. This will help seal the moisture into the loaf.
5. Bake at 375°F for 5 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350° for another hour, or until the internal temperature has reached 170°F or 77°C

Bon appétit!