LOW FAT MEATLOAF

Meatloaf. For me, a comfort food that stirs up memories of childhood. Up until last month, I hadn’t had meatloaf in well over a decade. Being comprised of ground beef and / or pork, it’s not typically something one considers to be very diet friendly. Well, I’ve got a recipe for you!

I have adapted this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, which is featured in The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook. What’s unique about their recipe is that it replaces the typical breadcrumb component as a binder with potato flakes. This makes the meatloaf gluten free, but still provides starches to absorb the milk, coating the protein molecules in the meat, keeping things soft and tender.

My adaptation of this recipe utilizes leaner meat to keep the fat down and make it more macro friendly. This also eliminates the need to cook the meatloaf on a wire rack over a cookie sheet to allow excess fat to drain.

Recipe

MAKES 6 SERVINGS
10G FAT | 14G CARBS | 35G PROTEIN

½ cup ketchup
¼ cup packed light brown sugar*
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
2 large eggs
½ cup 2{885586236f5820200058e61f9e2fcec1023d525f8b1a6e4e5a4fd7f3c0d65acb} milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce**
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
⅓ cup potato flakes
⅓ cup minced fresh parsley
1 pound lean ground pork
1 pound 96{885586236f5820200058e61f9e2fcec1023d525f8b1a6e4e5a4fd7f3c0d65acb} lean ground beef

1. Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. The meatloaf can be cooked free-form on a foiled baking sheet or in loaf pans; either way, grease pan with a little vegetable oil.
2. Stir ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar together in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
4. Whisk in eggs, milk, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Stir in potato flakes and parsley. Add pork and knead with hands until thoroughly combined. Add beef and continue to knead until uniform.
5. Transfer meat mixture to foil rectangle and shape into 9×5-inch loaf. Brush half of ketchup mixture over meatloaf. Bake meatloaf in preheated oven 40 minutes.
6. Brush meatloaf with remaining ketchup mixture and continue to bake until center of loaf registers 160°F, 30 to 35 minutes. Let meatloaf cool 15 minutes before slicing.

*I personally find this to be a little too sweet and only use 1/8 cup of brown sugar.
** Make sure your Worcestershire sauce is gluten free, if you have an allergy.

HOW THE HECK DO I MEASURE THIS?

If you’re tracking your macros, you’ll need to weigh out each serving. This recipe make six servings, so just weigh the whole cooked meatloaf and divide by 6 to get your serving size. Make sure to account for any extra meat used, since most packages of meat aren’t exactly one pound.