Meatloaf always makes for a nice weeknight dinner, but can definitely be made into a dinner you would be proud to serve your guests at a weekend dinner party. I chose to make a simple, classic meatloaf for my family for dinner tonight and I’m here to share my recipe with you.

I like to cook low fat most of the time, so I used 93% lean ground beef for this recipe. However, if I were serving this to guests, I would probably use 80% lean ground beef and maybe add in ground pork. When I do that, I will be sure to share that recipe with you as well.

My Grandma made a wonderful meatloaf. This is not her recipe, she never used ketchup. I actually like to sauté my onions before adding them to my beef mixture, something my grandma did not do. My Dad’s favorite meal was meatloaf and my maternal grandmother liked to make this for my Dad when we were going to her house for dinner. She was very thoughtful in so many ways and I miss her dearly.

I started out by sautéing a small white onion in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once the onion had started to soften, I added a couple tablespoons of fresh, minced thyme and let it cook with the onion for a couple of minutes. I then set it aside and let it cool for a couple minutes while mixing my other ingredients.

In a large glass mixing bowl, I added 1-1/2 pound of lean ground beef, kosher salt, pepper, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, eggs and breadcrumbs. I learned from my favorite celebrity chef, Ina Garten, to mix meat lightly with a fork. It keeps the meat lighter and fluffier and also less dense. I mixed the meat and all ingredients together lightly with a fork, and then added the onion and thyme – mixing with a fork once again.

I then placed the meat into an 8×4 inch loaf pan and covered the loaf with a quarter cup of ketchup.

This picture shows the loaf in the pan before the ketchup was spread over the top.

I placed the pan into a preheated 350 degree oven for an hour. Once the temperature reaches 160 degrees, remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting it.

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 eggs

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup ketchup

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in medium sized skillet. Add onions and cook until the onions start to soften and become fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add minced thyme and cook another 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, eggs and breadcrumbs and mix lightly with a fork.
3. Add cooled onions and thyme to meat mixture and mix lightly with a fork.
4. Place meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan and form a loaf. Spread ketchup over the meatloaf.
5. Place in oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until internal temperature reads 160 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris