How To Make Meatloaf Taste Amazing
My dad’s trick to meatloaf? He mixes Italian pork sausage (half sweet, half spicy) in with ground beef. The original recipe came from an old issue of Gourmet (April 1994) and my father has been changing it over the years to his taste (including using Italian sausage instead of plain ground pork). It’s no ordinary meatloaf.
Homemade Meatloaf Is Worth the Time
It takes a little extra prep time to make the “sofritto” base of minced carrots, onions, celery, and garlic, but it is so so worth it! Like a giant Italian meatball, in loaf form. Meatball meatloaf. It may look like the sofritto is a time consuming extra step for meatloaf, but you can easily put the vegetables in a food processor or mini chopper to speed up the prep time. The smaller mince size that you can get with the food processor will also help the meatloaf hold together better.
How Long To Cook Meatloaf
Since meatloaf is quite dense packed into a loaf pan, it takes a little while to bake. It also needs to be baked at a relatively low temperature so the outside doesn’t finish baking and start drying out before the center is done. Bake this meatloaf for about an hour at 350°F, and then check it with a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf—the center should be at least 155°F when done.
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Letting the loaf cool for several minutes before slicing will also help it stay together. You can store leftover meatloaf uncut, then slice it while it’s cold (and easier to cut) before reheating.
How Long Does Meatloaf Keep?
Store tightly covered meatloaf in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for 1 minute, adding 15 seconds at a time if necessary to heat them through. To freeze, allow the meatloaf to cool completely. Wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Save prep time by roughly chopping the celery, carrot, onion, green onions, and garlic and pulsing them in a food processor or mini-chopper to get them finely chopped. You can also use a food processor to make the breadcrumbs: take a couple slices of fresh bread and pulse in until you have crumbs. (Even though the breadcrumbs come after the vegetables in the instructions, pulse them in the food processor first so it is dry when you add the bread.) Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender, stirring every so often. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup ketchup. Cook for another minute and remove from heat to cool. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to gently lift the meatloaf out of the loaf pan to a serving plate.
