Meatloaf

How to Cook Amazing Meatloaf

yield
Makes 6 servings with leftovers

active time
-30 min

total time
-1 1/2 hr

This is the perfect antidote to the Sunday blues, not least because there will be enough left over to pack sandwiches for Monday's lunch. A mix of beef, pork, and bacon ensures meatiness, with Worcestershire sauce, chopped prunes, and cider vinegar added for good balance and occasional suggestions of sweetness. Because the loaf is baked without a loaf pan, there's plenty of well-browned crust to go around.

Ingredients

• 1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (from 2 slices firm white sandwich bread)
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium celery rib, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 pound bacon (about 4 slices), chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1/2 pound ground pork (not lean)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Garnish: cooked bacon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Soak bread crumbs in milk in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic, celery, and carrot in butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low, then cook until carrot is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, allspice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Add to bread-crumb mixture.
Finely chop bacon and prunes in a food processor, then add to onion mixture along with beef, pork, eggs, and parsley and mix together with your hands.
Pack mixture into a 9- by 5-inch oval loaf in a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish or pan.
Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatloaf registers 155°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Cooks' note: Cooked meatloaf keeps, chilled, 3 days. 

Comments:

-I really love meatloaf and I have always wanted to know how to make it and now I know which is really cool. This Meatloaf recipe works out really well and turns out delicious which not most recipes do.

   -by Me from Los Angeles, CA on 2014-10-30

 -I am not a meatloaf lover but my husband and boys are. After eating this meatloaf two weeks ago, I decided to make it again tonight. It is DELICIOUS! The soaked breadcrumbs and the prunes give it nice moistness and the prunes also lend a lovely richness and sweetness to the dish. The bacon on top is a necessity since I'm a Virginian by birth. I baked it free form both times which gave lots of surface area for crispness on the outside. This recipe has converted me!
    -by amyjofrisch from New York City on 2014-10-18

 

 

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