Mini Meatloaves with a Tomato Glaze | Slimming World Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put ketchup on meatloaf? ›

Whether you slather a thick layer of ketchup on top of the meatloaf before it goes into the oven, add a few tablespoons to the ground meat mixture, or serve extra ketchup on the side, this tangy-sweet, umami-rich condiment balances out the richness of the beef, making it an essential part of the dish.

So, yes, we want our meatloaf moist, but we don't want it grease-laden and soggy. If we take a pile of ground beef and pack it into a loaf pan, the fat that renders out has nowhere to go, and so the loaf swims in its own juices…but not in a good way.

Once baked, transfer the cooked meatloaves to freezer-safe bags or containers. To reheat the frozen meatloaf, place in the 2-cup stoneware, or an 8-by-8 baking dish. Cover with foil bake at 350ºF until hot, about 35 minutes for 1 cup portions or 1 hour for 2 cup portions.

Should I cook my meatloaf covered or uncovered? The meatloaf can be cooked uncovered. However, if you are concerned about it burning, you can cover the meatloaf with foil for the first 45 minutes and uncover it for the final 15 minutes to allow the meatloaf to brown on top.

Mix ground beef, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl. Mix in bread, milk, egg, 1 tbsp mustard, and 1/4 cup ketchup. Press mixture into a loaf and put in baking dish.

The oven temperature is typically set at 350 degrees F for making meatloaf. That's the temperature you want to be sure to use so the meatloaf cooks and doesn't dry out. Too high, and the outer crust will burn before the interior is cooked all the way, too low and you don't get that delicious crust.

If you don't have any bread, you can substitute it for breadcrumbs, crackers, cereal grains, oatmeal, instant rice, instant barley, or even potato flakes! However, bread is still the best choice of all the potential options.

When choosing a baking pan, avoid a small loaf pan or baking dish. A tight fit means that the loaf will steam — think school cafeteria meatloaf. Instead, use a sheet pan or a large baking dish and leave some breathing room so the edges will caramelize nicely.

Raw meatloaf should last up to six months in the freezer. You do need to consider if the meat was frozen before you made it into the meatloaf. Depending on how it was defrosted, it may not be safe to refreeze. Frozen meat that was thawed in the refrigerator is ok to refreeze, according to the USDA.

A frozen meatloaf needs 1.5-2 times longer than a thawed meatloaf, therefore you will need to bake it at 350 for at least an 1 hr and 30 minutes, but it may take up to two hours. Be sure to check the internal temperature to verify that it is done. As a reminder, the safe internal temperature of meatloaf is 155 F.

Do you have to use ketchup in meatloaf? ›

If you're not a ketchup fan, you can use your favorite BBQ sauce or any other sauce you find appealing. You can also skip the glaze altogether and drape the meatloaf with strips of bacon before cooking — as we know, bacon makes everything better and that certainly holds true here.

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

Milk and other dairy products, like heavy cream and buttermilk, contain both water and fat, adding two types of moisture to our meatloaf. There's a long-held theory that milk can tenderize ground meat, and this is the reason often cited for cooking ground meat in milk to make a Bolognese-style ragù.

Since ketchup is acidic, it helps tenderize tough cuts of meat by breaking down the tough fibers. However, a good steak tastes good on its own with a little seasoning for a flavor boost, so you are better off using a different technique to tenderize it.