Homemade Glazed Meatloaf. These individual loaves are tender and juicy, made with meat or a plant-protein alternative. Even better is the sweet and tangy glaze that adds more flavor to the meatloaf. Serve these with a side of potatoes and roasted green beans. Dinner made easy!
Meatloaf isn’t fancy, but it sure provides comfort. Not to mention it’s economical, quick to prepare, and a classic family favorite. Leftovers make terrific sandwiches too! Meatloaf is definitely a dish I’ve missed over the years. With plant-protein alternatives these days, this recipe is now one on my dinner rotation. This Glazed Meatloaf has been tested with regular ground beef (approved) and a plant-protein alternative.
Many of the plant-protein alternatives can be loaded with ingredients that ultimately in turn make the plant-protein alternative less healthy than if one were to eat regular animal protein. My recommendation is to pay attention to the frequency of use with these alternatives and opt more for beans, nuts/seeds, tofu for your plant protein. That being said, when it comes to protein, my encouragement is always to pay attention to the quality and quantity. Anytime you can include whole sources of plant protein is a bonus. And never one to say someone has to be a vegetarian, the truth is you want to find what works for you and is sustainable. But when it comes to protein, suffice it to say that many people do overeat protein. Simply pay attention to the portion size and also to the cut of the protein you’re eating.
Ingredients: Glazed Meatloaf
- Ground Beef: Traditionally, meatloaf is made with a fattier cut of beef. Some methods I’ve seen use a mix of ground beef and ground pork. When I tested this recipe I used a 93/7 percent lean ground beef and taste testers said it was still moist and delicious – the egg yolk helps along with the panko.
- Alternative Plant-Protein: As a dietitian, I’m all for beans, nuts, and soy for my plant protein. In recent years, the alternatives have popped up and people are using them as replacements all the time for dishes that call for animal protein. I have used an alternative here, but my encouragement is to aim for as many whole sources for plant protein as you can and use these alternatives only occasionally.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Along with the egg, helps to be the binder for everything to ‘stick’ together, but yet also gives moistness.
- Yellow Onion: Grate your onion into the meatloaf. This will help provide moistness but also avoids you having to sauté your onion separately and then add it in. One less step, sign me up!
- Black Pepper: to taste. And as always I left the salt out to keep this on the lower sodium side.
- Egg: You can use the whole egg, however, I found that using just the yolk helped with the level of juiciness.
- Garlic: I used fresh, however, if you don’t want to have pieces of grated garlic in the loaf, you can always use garlic powder.
- Parsley: Adds color and flavor. If you don’t have fresh on hand, use dried but only half the amount.
- Oil: Grapeseed is a good option here to help sear/brown the loaves.
- Balsamic Vinegar and Ketchup: This is your glaze. While ketchup has added sugar, I opted for a simple glaze that wasn’t using actual sugar. Flavorful as is.
How To Make Glazed Meatloaf
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup ketchup in a small bowl; set aside.
- Combine panko, grated onion and garlic, parsley, egg yolk, and pepper in medium bowl. Add ground beef (or plant-protein alternative) and gently knead with your hands until just combined. Shape mixture into rough 5- by 3-inch loaf of even thickness (see picture).
- Heat oil in an 8- or 10-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Gently add meatloaf and cook on first side until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip meatloaf. If some starts to break apart, simply reform the meatloaf carefully with the spatula, and transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven. Being careful of hot skillet handle, brush top and sides of meatloaf with balsamic mixture. Return skillet to oven and continue to bake until meatloaf registers 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer meatloaf to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite side of potatoes and roasted green beans.
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Glazed Meatloaf
Homemade Glazed Meatloaf. These individual loaves are tender and juicy, made with meat or a plant-protein alternative. Even better is the sweet and tangy glaze that adds more flavor to the meatloaf. Serve these with a side of potatoes and roasted green beans. Dinner made easy!
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 small onion, grated
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 garlic cloves, minced, or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
- 12–ounces ground beef, 93/7
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup ketchup in a small bowl; set aside.
- Combine panko, grated onion and garlic, parsley, egg yolk, and pepper in medium bowl. Add ground beef (or plant-protein alternative) and gently knead with your hands until just combined. Shape mixture into rough 5- by 3-inch loaf of even thickness (see picture).
- Heat oil in an 8- or 10-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Gently add meatloaf and cook on first side until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip meatloaf. If some starts to break apart, simply reform the meatloaf carefully with the spatula, and transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven. Being careful of hot skillet handle, brush top and sides of meatloaf with balsamic mixture. Return skillet to oven and continue to bake until meatloaf registers 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer meatloaf to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite side of potatoes and roasted green beans.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dinner
1 thought on “Glazed Meatloaf”
That looks delish – and love how you showed that it could be done with animal protein and/or plant protein alternatives!