Betty,

This is my favourite meatloaf and it can be cooked early in the day and then grilled just before serving.

Unlike most meatloaves this one does not contain Ketchup or tomato sauce.

Although it has both garlic and onions, you could easily add peppers, mushrooms or other herbs to season.

Meat Loaf Magnolia
==================
1 1/2 pounds ground veal or mixture of beef and veal

1 small onion finely chopped
1 to 2 cloves of garlic
2 slices Italian/French Bread soaked in milk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoons of dried herbs,
(sage and Thyme, a small amount of rosemary
olive oil

Sauce

Green peppercorns
mushrooms
1 to 2 cups chicken broth

Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add minced garlic and saute for
30 seconds. Do not brown garlic

Soak bread in milk

In a large bowl add meat, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, herbs, onions
and garlic and mix with hands. Squeeze bread to break up and add milk
and bread to mixture. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Saute
a small piece to check for seasoning. Adjust to taste.

Shape meatloaf into a rectangle about 8 X 4 x 3 inches high and place
in a small roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes and then add a small
amount of broth to the pan to prevent the bottom from becoming to
brown. Bake another 30 minutes and baste with the pan juices. Add
more broth if necessary. Cook another 10 minutes or until the meatloaf
is nicely browned.

Let cool and wrap in foil and refrigerate. Reserve pan juices.

Make a sauce by adding some green peppercorns and sauted mushrooms to
the pan juices.

Heat grill

Slice meatloaf into 1/2 inch thick slices and grill on both sides until
nicely marked and hot.

Serve with mashed potatoes

Here's a spin on meatloaf which I've "pushed" here a bunch of times. A definite departure from a traditional meatloaf, but it's one of my favorites. Don't leave out the arugula mayo, to me it's not great on its own but it makes the sandwich. Oh, and best part (for you) it contains no onions or garlic!

Pancetta and Turkey Meatloaf Sandwiches
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 cup grated Romano
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
10 ounces sliced pancetta, about 10 slices
3 cups arugula, about 3 ounces
1 cup mayonnaise
4 to 6 Italian rolls

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, lay out the pancetta, overlapping the slices, into a large rectangle shape. In the middle of the rectangle, place the turkey mixture, shaping into a loaf. Using the parchment paper, wrap the pancetta up and around the turkey loaf to cover completely. Squeeze the parchment-covered loaf with your hands to secure the pancetta and solidify the shape of the loaf. While still covered in parchment, bake the loaf until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a blender, combine the arugula and the mayonnaise and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To make the sandwiches, slice the rolls and spread with the arugula mayonnaise. Slice the turkey meatloaf and place on the rolls to make sandwiches.

Of all the recipes I've tried that have been posted here (and others that haven't) my PERSONAL favorite is SharonCB's recipe. Her notes indicate she uses a brand of canned tomatoes, I use condensed tomato soup. We all love it this way.

Alexa

****************************************************

WORLDS BEST MEATLOAF SHARONCB
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs - (tear up soft sliced bread - don't use fine crumbs as for breading)
1 1/2 lb ground meat (beef or pork & beef) (about 700 grams)
1 beaten egg
1 onion chopped fine
1/4 teasp dry Colman's (or similar) mustard
1/8 teasp ground sage
1/2 teasp ground thyme
1 1/2 teasp salt
1/4 teas pepper
1/8 teasp nutmeg
1 chopped green pepper
1 tin condensed tomato soup (eg Campbells's)
3/4 cup grated celery
3/4 cup grated carrot
1) Mix meat with egg, add onion and seasonings and bread crumbs, greens and carrots
2) Add half the tin of soup and mix everything well. Turn into greased loaf pan or glass casserole dish 8.5 x 11 inches and pour remaining soup over the top, smoothing it evenly over all.
3)Bake 350 F (177 C) for 1 1/4 hours.

Notes:
1) I use 'tomate frito' instead of the condensed soup. It's a rich fried Spanish tomato puree but otherwise condensed soup is good. Never use ketchup !
2) I usually double the amount of the ground spices with the exception of salt.
SharonCb

This is the meatloaf recipe I have used for many years. Friends and family are always requesting the recipe.
It does have onion and garlic salt, but you can leave those out.

Adeline's Meatloaf

1 cup oatmeal
2 pounds ground round
2 eggs
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 t salt
1/2 t garlic salt
1/4 t celery salt
1/2 t dry mustard (I use Coleman's dry mustard in a yellow tin found with the spices)
1/4 t pepper
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup catsup

Mix oatmeal and ground round - do not overmix. You can either chop green pepper and onion and add to ground round/oatmeal mixture, then add all other ingredients OR YOU CAN DO WHAT I DO AND TAKE THE EASY WAY TO DO IT - I put rest of ingredients from eggs through catsup in blender, then blend until everything is very thoroughly blended, then pour into ground round/oatmeal mixture and mix well (better to do this using both hands to mix). Put into baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50-60 minutes.

I have used this meat loaf recipe for many, many years (since late 1950s or early 1960s). It honestly is better than any other meat loaf recipe I have tried.

Betty, I have made this meatloaf since the mid-70s when I discovered the I Hate to Cook Book by Peg Bracken. I especially like it because it doesn't have tomato-anything in it. Even DH who swore he disliked meatloaf asks for this one on occasion. It won't suffer without the onion (do you also react to dried onion and onion salt?)

Swiss Loaf

2 lb hamburger
1 1/2 c. diced Swiss cheese
2 beaten eggs
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/ tsp pepper
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 1/2 c. milk
1 c. dry bread crumbs

Mix ingredients together in the approximate order listed. Press into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees 1 1/2 hr. to 1 3/4 hr.
Even better the next day. Freezes well.
(This is a large meat loaf; I use a 10x5 loaf pan. I put it on a cookie sheet - the juices usually run over.)

This is the best meatloaf I've ever made. You could just leave out the onions and there is so much flavor in it with the sauce, I doubt you'd miss the flavor.

Barbecue Meat Loaf

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1-cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 onion chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 T vinegar
3 T brown sugar
2 T prepared mustard
2 T Worcestershire sauce

Mix together the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire. Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake @350 for 1 hour, basting occasionally with the pan juices.

Paula Deen

John started a good meatloaf thread a while back, and my favorite meatloaf recipe is at the end (from the Cheap, Fast, Good Cookbook). It does call for onion and garlic, but perhaps the other veggies and the topping would give it enough flavor. There are plenty of other tasty-looking recipes here as well!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Intra-Marital Loaf Thread

I don't have a recipe, and my loaf doesn't have tomato of any kind in it.

Ground beef, as lean as you can get.

season to your liking ( I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, diced onion, Italian seasoning, a dash of rosemary powder)

add an egg or two, depending on how much meat you use

some bread crumbs

Mix all the above, and shape in to a loaf.

Brown on top and bottom in a fry pan, then transfer to a slow cooker, and add a small can of beef stock. Cook on low about all day long.

Thicken the juices to make a gravy and serve with your tators and vegetable of choice.

Moni

I've been making the same meat loaf recipe sally grower posted for over 40 years. I use 1 C oatmeal instead of bread crumbs. Love it.

Oh My Goodness!

DH will be really happy by the time he gets to try all of these. I can't wait to see which is his favorite.

Ann, He loves meat and potatoes, so I know he will dig into your's. Shucks, I want some now!

FOAS, I've always loved to watch Giada cook. It's hard to believe there are no onions or garlic in one of her recipes. (Same thing with RR) My family has decided that as skinny as Giada is, the only food that goes in her mouth is the forkful or spoonful that she eats on the show!

Alexa, Of course it is the world's best meatloaf if the recipe is Sharon's. I've loved her posts since I found this forum, but somehow missed the meatloaf recipe.

Adeline, (You are Adeline, right?) I always used oatmeal in my original recipe. It is good, isn't it?

Kathleen, yes, unfortunately, even dried onion, onion powder and onion salt. Your recipe sure sounds good.

Sally, Mmmmm... BBQ meatloaf sounds so delish. When I saw this was Paula Deen's the first thing I thought was, "Where's the butter?" lol

Jassica, Thanks for the link. I'm in meatloaf heaven.

Betty

You can have a lot of fun with that humble meatloaf.

I start out with a basic recipe and play with the ingredients.

dcarch

Moni, I never thought of using the crock pot for meatloaf.
Hot & delish when I walk in the door.

Georgysmom, I always used oatmeal back in the day. I'm going to try the breadcrumbs and see how it works out. I may go back to the oatmeal in the end.

Dcarch, What can I say? You could have a best seller cookbook based on your pictures, alone. I bet it is so much fun to eat at your house.

Can I come hang out with you?

I'm roasting a chicken today so I can make fresh chicken broth. Then the meatloaf fun begins!

Thanks again, everyone. I knew I could find help here. :)
Betty

Betty, this one is from America's Test Kitchen. We love the texture and it's the most moist meatloaf I've ever tasted. Be sure to use ground pork and not sausage for part of the meat. Oh, and the recipe calls for saltines or fresh bread crumbs, but I can vouch only for the bread crumbs. :)

All-American Meatloaf (America's Test Kitchen)
==============================================
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp vinegar

2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk, plus extra as needed
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2/3 cups crushed saltines or 1 1/3 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cups minced fresh parsley

Saute onion; add garlic and thyme at very end.

Mix ketchup, sugar and vinegar; set aside.

Mix rest of ingredients together until evenly blended and mixture doesn't stick to side of bowl. If it does add additional milk, 1 T at a time, until it no longer sticks.

Turn onto a foil-lined sheet and shape into a 9x5 free-form loaf.

Brush with half the ketchup mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Brush with remaining ketchup mixture and continue to bake 15 more minutes or until thermometer inserted to center measures 160 degrees. Let stand up to 20 minutes before serving.

BettyD:

Sorry about the allergies.

I saw a few recipes that sound good.

If you do not want to use Ketchup or Tomato Soup,
you can sustitute Cream Of Mushroom Soup.
LOU

Caboodle, I use that recipe too.

For years I made meatloaf the way my DM did, rather plain. When I tried others I always went back to Moms....until I tried the recipe Cabootle posted. Now it's my favorite and adding thyme made all the difference in the world.

Nancy

Caboodle, Your recipe sounds delish with all of the various ingredients. Lots of flavor.

Lou, Thanks. You would be surprised what food items have onion and/or garlic. I have to make my own ketchup, tomato soup and any cream soups. Most brands of Worcestershire sauce and some mustards have garlic as an ingredient. Makes cooking a challenge and more time consuming. It takes longer to grocery shop because I have to read every label. I have to get creative when making salsas, etc.

You can imagine the difficulty when going to restaurants or even friend's houses for dinner.

Nancy, I love Thyme. It over-winters in my garden most of the time.

Thanks again for all of the help. I'm sure DH will be happy when he is served his meatloaf.

Betty

Nancy, I think the ground pork makes a big difference, too. I've shared the recipe with a few family members and it's their "all-time-favorite," also. I didn't like meatloaf until I tried this recipe.

Judi

I don't think I have ever made the same meatloaf recipe more then once. I guess you could call my take on meatloaf a kitchen sink recipe. Anything I have on hand goes into it.
I have a basic recipe to start with;

2 lbs ground beef & ground pork mixture
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS garlic powder
2 lrg eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup fresh bread crumbs or oatmeal
large handful chopped parsley
salt & pepper

Then if I have some salsa that goes in. BBG sauce, sure that goes in too. Grated cheese, garlic and onion jam, bacon, relish, hot sauce and ketchup have all been ingredients in one of my meatloaves. The combinations are endless. lol NancyLouise

I found this recipe first in a Marcia Adams cookbook on Amish recipes and culture. It's still excellent.

Amish Swiss Meat Loaf Recipe

1 egg
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 c. Ritz cracker crumbs
3/4 c. grated Swiss cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
2-3 strips bacon, cut in 1" pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add evaporated milk, sage, salt and pepper, and mix. Add beef, crumbs, 1/2 cup of the cheese and the onion; blend. Form into a loaf and place in a 2 quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange bacon pieces on top of loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake 10 minutes longer.

Teresa

Dcarch, am I seeing coffee beans?

Caboodle and Nancy, I've got everything to make the ATK meatloaf recipe except the parsley. I don't want to go out shopping for just one item. Do you think I could get by without it? I have dried parsley, but I'm sure that wouldn't work. I have some zucchini and carrots in the crisper, but the only leafy type vegetable I've got is fresh spinach. Maybe I could substitute that. What do you think?

Sue

BettyD:
Here is something I found on the Internet, for Garlic and Onion Allergies.

Hope it will help !!!
LOU

*************************

Aromatics Beyond Onions and Garlic:
No unrelated vegetable has quite the same taste as onions or garlic. But some aromatics that may be safe for your allergies are good options for cooking:

�Fennel has a licorice-like taste but onion-like texture. Try it with chicken or fish.
�Celery is among the most common aromatics.
�Bell peppers are often used in Cajun cooking. Green peppers and celery are a good base for rice dishes or savory stews.
�Carrots are used as an aromatic in French cooking in combination with celery.
�Celeriac, or celery root, is the knobby root of one variety of celery. Peeled and diced, it can be used as an aromatic in sauces or stews.

Herbs and Spices for Onion and Garlic-Free Cooking:
Garlic chives, an herb with a garlicky flavor, are an obvious substitute, but be careful if you're managing a true food allergy: chives are in the allium family. Ask your allergist before eating them.

Here are some herbs and spices you may find useful:

�Peppercorns: white, pink, or Szechuan pepper can add different flavors to your cooking.
�Cumin's distinctive taste that may work well in some recipes, especially where garlic is used raw.
�Horseradish, freshly grated, can add some of the pungent notes you might otherwise lack.
�Ginger and galangal have distinctive flavors but may be useful in stir-fries as aromatics.

Teresa, that one sounds good, although I would leave out the sage. Just my preference.

Thanks for all the meatloaf recipes....I'll have to try each one and decide which is the best.
Linda

Caboodle:
I use Pork in my Meatloaf and Italian Hamburgers and meatballs.
Sometimes I use Sausage but Bettyd can not use Garlic or Onions.
********************

lindaluu2:

All the recipes are basically the same, so while you are testing,
why not divide the meatloaf into 3 sections and put whatever into each and record what you added.

You can mark each section with toothpicks , or whatever.

Try some Mushroom soup in one section it is good.
Save some of the best for me.
LOU

Posted by cloudy_christine "Dcarch, am I seeing coffee beans? "

I added some black beans. To give softer texture and to balance out meat protein.

dcarch

Oh. The line down the center made me think they were coffee beans.

I have the ATK recipe ready to go in the oven. It came together beautifully and I am really excited about how it looks..... maybe there is room for 2 fav recipes in my collection!

Thanks for posting all the recipes!

Alexa

I wing it... any partial boxes of crackers, bread crumbs, ground meat, couple eggs... handful of oatmeal if desired.

I like about a teaspoon of cream of wheat cereal... it soaks up the juice so the meatloaf juice does not run out.

If you got kids around toss in a handful of goldfish crackers. Not the best tasting but kids get a kick out of fish in the loaf.

: )
lyra

Lou, Thanks for the aromatic list.

I've been growing fennel for the butterflies, I guess I need to "borrow" some to try in our food.

I want to try some peppercorns. Ann T's meatloaf recipe calls for green peppercorns. Do they have a long shelf life or can they be frozen and used as needed?

I use most of the others on the list. I still want to grow some celeriac to try.

Still haven't talked DH and DS into eating anything with horseradish. They both STRONGLY dislike it. I love the 'nose burn'!!

I also love the 3 in 1 meatloaf idea. I'm making a store run today for some of the ingredients I don't have on hand, and will do the 3 in 1 trial to save time and liven up the dinner.

Lyra, LOL I love the fish in the loaf idea, but do they eat the meatloaf?

Thanks again, everyone.
Betty

Betty, buy dried green peppercorns. Keep them in a jar in your pantry. They keep almost indefinitely. I use them in lots of different sauces and gravies.

They also sell green peppercorns bottled in brine. I NEVER use that type because the brine effects the flavour of whatever you use them in.

Ann

Betty, I love fennel, give it a try if you like licorice.

I use the Mama's Meatball recipe for meatloaf, but I use the ATK topping, my girls love it.

Chef Rocco Dispirito's Mama's Meatballs

1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup diced yellow onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped fine
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground veal
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-6 cups of your favorite marinara sauce

1. Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic, and parsley in a blender or food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, red pepper flakes, and salt.
3. Combine with hands until mixture is uniform, do not overmix.
4. Form mixture into a loaf and place in a shallow pan. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
5. Mix 1/2 cup catsup, 4 tsp cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Pour half of mixture over meatloaf and return to oven. Bake 15-20 minutes longer, add more sauce, bake until done.

My family likes this because the onion is blended and so it's a "smooth" meatloaf with no chunks of anything.

Annie

Thanks, Ann. We've all been sick and have eaten lots of healthy, rich soups and salads lately, but I'm heading out to the store in a few minutes.

Glad I checked in here before I left!

Annie, Mmmm... meatballs. One question. Certain cheeses (the ones with the most, naturally occuring, mold) really give me a fit. Could I sub feta, cottage or cream cheese?

Those 3 don't seem to bother me. Thanks for the recipe.

Betty

Sure, Betty, I don't see why not. I'm not sure I'd go with cream cheese Because I think it'll be hard to integrate with the rest of the ingredients and I don't think cottage cheese is going to add to your flavor much. I'd go with feta, I think. Or you could just leave it out. I've forgotten to buy parmesan and made them without and they are still good.

Be aware, this is a very "wet" mixture and the meatballs are soft and delicate, they aren't those dense and chewy meatballs liek the frozen ones in the store.

I bake mine, I don't fry them, I usually make about 5 pounds of meat and then roll them into balls, place on baking sheets with sides and bake at 350 until they are done, then freeze. My girls then take turns seeing who can find the bags of meatballs first, LOL.

Funny how I don't even care very much for meatballs (or anything else with ground meat, it's the texture thing) but make them by the hundreds!

Annie

Bettyd_z7:

Since everyone is putting in Recipes that is not their own and has Garlic & Onion in the ingredients,

Thought I would put in my Recipe and you can sub the Garlic , Onions with other Spices.

Sub Cream of Mushroom Soup for Chicken Soup Base

**********************************************

Lou�s Italian Hamburgers, Meatballs, Meatloaf

Do you use your KA for mixing Meatballs ???
I watched many of my relatives making Meatballs, thru the years.

Break the eggs on the meat and start mixing with their hands.
Then throw some bread crumbs in , with all the spices and keep mixing.

Always thought there should be another way to mix the Spices,
thru the crumbs and meat evenly throughout..
I did it this way now, for years.

Ingredients:
4 & half lbs. of Ground Sirloin
1 & half lbs. Of ground Pork
Half Cup of fine chopped Onion ( micro wave 2 minutes ) let it cool.
3 cups of Italian Bread crumbs ( including 1 cup of Corn Flakes, ground to crumbs )
3 tablespoons of Parsley
1 tablespoon of Salt
1 tablespoon of Garlic powder
1 tablespoon of Onion powder
3 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese.
3 tablespoons of Powdered eggs or 2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of Chicken Soup base , mixed in 1 cup of warm water,
or use Cream of Mushroom Soup

Put the meat into the mixer , in alternate spoonfuls . Use the paddle beater.
Turn on low speed to mix.
Meanwhile , in another bowl, put in the bread crumbs, Onions and all the spices.
Add the Chicken water mixture, if needed add more water, to make a damp mixture.
Add this to the meat in the mixer.
Everything mixed thru evenly. And the paddle took all the Gristle, from the meat.
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Measure out the meatballs ( I use an ice cream dipper ) and roll them.
Place in an oiled baking pan. And Bake at 350 Degrees for about half hour or,
Until they are browned slightly or not cooked thru.
I made 38 meatballs. BUT

I stole a piece of the meatball mix and made an Italian Hamburger.
It was delicious in a slice of bread , with nothing else on it.

Reminded me of when I used to steal a fried meatball and run out of the kitchen,
before my Grandmother grabbed the Wooden Spoon.

LOU

Great, Annie. Feta it is. My guys can easily eat 5 lbs of meatballs or meatloaf. DH and our 17 year old DS are big meat eaters. Plus, DH loves to take left-overs to work for his lunch.

Thanks, Lou, for the recipe. Sounds like you needed that wooden spoon. Stealing your Grandmother's meatball! lol

Betty

Betty:
When making your Meatloaf, put a portion aside for yourself,
Before you mix in the Garlic and Onions.
Sub some other spices and bake it in a loaf pan, separately

You can add some Gravy and freeze a portion for yourself to eat later.
*********************

Add the Garlic and Onions in the other portion for your Family and bake separately.

LOU

Lou,

I'm not sure I can cook with garlic or onions. We once had a cook at our jail who used onions so much that I made the comment that she probably used them in her chocolate cake!

I believe she fried up some onions for every meal!

I would be waaaaay up the hall in the control room and would start having breathing issues. Sure enough, she would be back in the kitchen using onions in a recipe. I would have to drink some Benedryl and stay outside as much as possible until it cleared out.

Once she left the building, my co-worker would go back and turn on the exaust fan in the kitchen and it would clear out.

Not fun for me.

When my church has a cook-out I always make the chili so that I can make it without onions. If they chop onions for hot dogs, I have to stay away from th kitchen area for a good while till the juices in the air clear out some.

I would rather have fun re-inventing the meatloaf than take chances on the repercussions.

Betty

I know health is an issue but when I used ground turkey or low fat beef I got really dry meatloaf. I suppose a different recipe might have helped.
But one cook book spelled out using an 80/20 ground.....round? vs. say ground sirloin or something
It really did help flavor wise and was very tender.

If using ATK recipe - I was just watching their show yesterday and they made this big deal about how ground pork in the stores is just all the scraps of unknown pork origin. They took short ribs I believe, cubed it large and then processed it in the food processor - which would probably work if you have doubts about ground pork.

Betty, my former in laws were both very sensitive to garlic and onions. I occasionally make up gift baskets of goodies for them and have to read labels very carefully. Onions and garlic are used in almost every savory commercial condiment, sauce, soup, seasoning mix.

I have another friend who can eat onions but not garlic. I canned salsa recently and made a batch for him with no garlic.

Having trouble with onions and garlic is not unusual I've discovered.

I love all these meatloaf recipes. Feta in the meatloaf sounds really good to me too.

I never used to use the same recipe twice, I'd vary it although I usually used a guideline. I kind of liked a pizza flavored meatloaf and would use pizza type seasonings, mozzarella cheese cubes in it sometimes, a little bit of pizza sauce for one type, served with garlic bread and fries or potato wedges. Another time I used Marcia Adam's recipe for a guideline. I'd use what's on hand. I really like meatloaf. If you don't overseason it, it's hard to goof it up. The one thing that's not tolerable to me is the inch of ketchup or tomato sauce on top. That's gross. I like gravy and mashed potatoes most of the time with it.

I think it's important to mix meats in there. I happen to like pork sausage (Jimmy Dean type), ground beef, some pepperoni and bacon. I used to use turkey but got some very unattractive stuff and was put off by it so I don't use it anymore. I don't keep oatmeal around or I might use that on occasion. Many like it and I thought it was OK.

To me, it's more a guideline than a recipe. Getting too exact can be problematic. More or less meat, more or less additives will all vary the result. In the link above I gave the listing of things I used in the last couple meatloaves I made and probably how I'll make it most of the time from now on unless I decide to go pizza/Italian style or something. You certainly can substitute for or eliminate the onion altogether. It's certainly flavorful enough or you could add something else if you want. Don't be afraid of it. Meatloaf and meatballs are basically the same thing. You can make meatloaf patties out of it too and cook quicker.

Make several kinds. Enjoy them. Combine them. That's what I did when I came up with what I liked. There is no "best" recipe for me, since I like variety. So no "one" recipe will do all the time.

Want something a little different? Put some hard boiled eggs in there or some cooked bratwurst or polish sausage. Makes for an interesting presentation when you slice it.

I do have one problem making meatloaf. I can't seem to get the good crust on there my mom's meatloaf had and I like the crust! It helped with the thin layer of BBQ, essentially brushed on and then seasoned. I imagine the gas oven was dryer than my electric oven and definitely dryer than the Nesco so that's probably part of the problem.

Good luck and happy testing!