Meatloaf (Beef with Oats American Midwest)
Looking for an easy recipe of meatloaf? Look no further. This Old Fashioned Meatloaf with Oats is what you need. A classic American Midwest recipe, this meatloaf is delicious and comforting any time of the year, but more suitable for the cold season. Minnesota has a wonderful cuisine, and also happens to be a state that appreciates a good meatloaf. The recipe that I will share with you today is very traditional in this part of the world. It is comfort food, and a great meal for cold nights. And we do have plenty of those cold nights around here.
1-1½ lbs ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large egg
1 tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
½ cup milk
1 cup oats (oven toasted or steel cut)
Sauce:
3 tsp. brown sugar
¼ cup ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).
Beat the egg briefly with a fork.
In a large bowl place the ground meat and add the chopped onion, egg, salt and pepper, milk and oats.
Mix the ingredients well together. Put the mixture into a greased loaf pan. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, mustard and ketchup.
Spread the sauce over the loaf and bake for 1 hour.
Serve warm or hot with the favourite side dish.
Cook's Notes:
- If you reached this recipe, you probably like meatloaf, which I am glad, because I never understood the haters out there who think of meatloaf as a disgusting meal.
- I had good and bad meatloaf versions over the years, and if you do not know what you are doing, it can be indeed an awful experience.
- Everyone has their own idea on how meatloaf should be made. Search "meatloaf recipe" on the internet and get hundreds of ideas on how to make this traditional cold weather dish.
- With so many opinions out there, the only thing to do is to add your personal touches to a classic recipe and turn an average meal into a delicious dish that everyone will enjoy.
- Besides the fact that it is considered comfort food, the recipe is also very easy to put together.
- My friend Audrey, a true Midwestern gal, gave me this recipe a few years ago, recipe that I kept like a little treasure together with other recipes she shared with me over the years.
So, how do you spice up a meatloaf recipe? - Well, first of all, you have to start with the meat. The original recipe calls for ground beef, but I tried ground pork, or a combination of beef and pork and it was delicious. You can also try beef and turkey. All these combinations make for a richer and more flavourful meatloaf.
- Do you want it gluten free? Remove the bread crumbs, or the quick oats and replace them with equal amount of cooked quinoa or rice. You will add to your meatloaf the density it needs and eliminates the gluten. This swap will also help to keep the texture the same without sacrificing taste. Adding other ingredients to the meatloaf can increase complexity and give it a flavour that may compliment the wine or the side dish you picked to go with dinner.
- Bacon, maybe? It would be a good option to wrap the loaf of meat with bacon before you put it in the oven. It is perfect for these who love saltiness and want to add a little more fat to the mix.
- Spices: While this recipe is a classic and doesn't have a lot of spices, you can definitely add your own touch. Minced cloves garlic, thyme, hot sauce, oregano, chili powder etc could work. Make the recipe your own but be careful to not dump every spice or herb under the sun in the meat. Choose one or two and leave the rest for the next occasion.