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Old-Fashioned Individual Meatloaves

Source of Recipe

"Once Upon A Chef: Weeknight/Weekend" by Jennifer Segal


Recipe Introduction

"This is a very good, very simple meatloaf recipe, and it's a real stick-to-your-ribber. The purpose of shaping the loaves into individual portions is twofold: first, it speeds up the cooking time, making it more doable on a weeknight (these take 40 minutes to bake rather than 70 minutes!); second, it allows more surface area for the ketchup glaze, so you can get some of the glaze in every bite. One tip if you're making this for kids: be sure to chop the onions very fine. My experience is that kids do not like finding flecks of onions (or flecks of anything, really) in their meatloaves. Naturally, leftovers make excellent meatloaf sandwiches."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons olive oil
â—¦ 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
â—¦ 4 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ ¼ cup milk
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
â—¦ 1 heaping teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ 2 ½ pounds meatloaf mix
â—¦ ¾ cup plain bread crumbs
â—¦ About ¾ cup ketchup



Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Do not brown. Transfer to a large bowl.

To the bowl, add the milk, eggs, thyme, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Whisk to combine.

Add the meatloaf mix and bread crumbs to the egg mixture and mix with your hands until just combined.

Form the mixture into 6 small loaves and place on the prepared baking sheet. Spoon the ketchup over the top and sides of each loaf. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160° F in the middle of a meatloaf. Let the meatloaves rest for about 5 minutes. Scrape any fat away from the edges of each meatloaf, then use a spatula to transfer the meatloaves to a serving platter or plates.

Serves 6



• Make-Ahead / Freezer-Friendly Instructions:
The cooked meatloaves can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat, uncovered, on a baking sheet in a 300° F oven until hot in the middle.