It’s my turn!!
Yes, after patiently waiting it was finally my turn to choose one of this month’s Barefoot Bloggers recipe. Let me tell you, it’s a lot of pressure! You have to choose something the group hasn’t cooked before. You want something that a lot of people will be inclined to make. You want something YOU want to make. You want something seasonally appropriate. The list goes on and on.
I settled on Ina Garten/ Barefoot Contessa’s Individual Meat Loaves because frankly, I’d been craving meat loaf. I was a bit disappointed in myself that I didn’t chose something vegetarian friendly but I figured at least people that eat poultry could be happy by subbing out the beef for turkey. Plus, with spring around the corner this would be one of the last chances to make a heavier meal such as this.
While making this recipe it occurred to me that I don’t really make meat loaf. I wasn’t even too sure how to make one so it’s hard for me to comment on what’s different about this recipe. I suspect frying the onions ahead of time might be different and that the addition of chicken broth might be an Ina-ism. The recipe is super easy and can have a complete dinner on the table in about an hour. I made the meatloaf, roasted green beans and made mashed potatoes in just over an hour. Not bad for a Thursday night (yes, I ended up having to make the recipe the day of… long story).
The results were great. The meat loaves were really moist and flavourful. Ina suggests mixing the meat loaves with a fork and not to compact the meat too much. This definitely contributed to a moister meat loaf. I also love the fact that these were individual meat loaves… such a great idea! I even followed Ina’s advice and put ketchup on top. I’m typically offended by this suggestion but I didn’t mind this time around.
Hopefully others that made this recipe enjoyed it and be sure to visit Barefoot Bloggers to see how others did with this recipe.
Individual Meat Loaves
Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon good olive oil
* 3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
* 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
* 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don’t mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through. Serve hot.
(Recipe via Food Network)
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I for one enjoyed this recipe, thanks for choosing it, it was delicious.
These went over very well at my house. I don’t make meatloaf very often either, since my husband isn’t really a fan, but he loved this one!
How did the individual loaves keep their shape? I think this would be fun to make in muffin tins, or even individual mini pans of some shape/size (ramekins even?) and then everyone gets to eat out of their own.
Great pick!! We love meatloaf at our house, and like my husband says “especially special meatloaf”. Ours turned out great – we’re getting ready to have leftovers for lunch
Yes, great pick! My husband was so thrilled I’d be making meatloaf (which I never make)! He loved it!
Doing the pick is a lot of pressure – isn’t it? Hopefully I wasn’t too hard on the meat loaves on my site. I think you hit it right on – they were yummy and moist – just not life changing. Maybe I expect too much from Ina sometimes.
This was a great recipe..thanks for picking it! I normally cheat and use stuffing so this was my first time making meat loaf from scratch – loved it.
I’m one of those who isn’t a meatloaf lover and I really enjoyed this one. Yours look fantastic, just the way Ina intended. Thanks for a great pick!
I don’t normally make meatloaf so your choice was something different for me. Thanks for the pick.
Great pick! We loved it!
LOVED this recipe! Thanks so much for choosing it. I am behind on BB posting hence this comment three weeks after you posted. Yikes! Anyway, love your blog. Can’t wait to visit again!
[…] move on. Which brings me to this week’s Barefoot Blogger’s recipe chosen by Tonya from What’s On My Plate: Ina Garten’s Individual Meat Loaves. No hard-boiled eggs […]