The best meatloaf recipe | Jamie Oliver mince recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to make Jamie Oliver meatloaf? ›

Add to the bowl of onion with the oregano, mustard and minced beef. Crack in the egg and add a really good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. With clean hands, scrunch and mix it up well. Move the meat mixture to a board, then pat and mould it into a large, rugby-ball shape and rub over a little oil.

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

The only way to guarantee tender meat is not to overcook it. And that's a simple matter of using a thermometer when you bake the meatloaf. Milk does, on the other hand, add moisture and fat and is worth including for that fact alone.

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

Eggs play a crucial role in meatloaf recipes. They add to its moisture and texture while binding all the other ingredients together.

No bells and whistles - just a few ingredients including beef, egg, bread crumbs and a simple tomato-based topping. Use a gentle touch with ground beef. Over-mixing will result in burgers, meatballs or meatloaves with a firm texture.

A ratio of 80 percent meat to 20 percent fat is the generally accepted formula. Some cooks use 30 percent fat, but there is a fine line between juicy and greasy. This is the reason most cooks choose ground chuck since it has this ideal proportion of fat to meat.

Cool before slicing: Let the loaf cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. If you baked your meatloaf in a loaf pan, carefully drain off the liquid fat before transferring the meatloaf to a cutting board. Cut into thick slices and serve.

How does Ina Garten make meatloaf? ›

Ina Garten's key to a delicious meatloaf is to not pack the mixture of ground chuck, sauteed onions, dried breadcrumbs and eggs too densely. Hand-mixing the ingredients will ensure the meatloaf is aerated enough to cook evenly in the oven.

I later learned how I could avoid this problem and make a fully smooth meatloaf by pre-cooking any vegetables, especially the onion, before adding them to the ground meat. This way the meatloaf gets the flavor without the rawness -- a method from the smart people at Cook's Illustrated.

Vegetable Side Dishes. These colorful vegetable sides pair perfectly with meatloaf, like roasted broccoli, glazed carrots, sautéed mushrooms, and creamed corn. Perfectly seasoned broccoli florets roasted until crisp and caramelized. This classic side comes together in minutes.

Should I cook my meatloaf covered or uncovered? The meatloaf can be cooked uncovered. However, if you are concerned about it burning, you can cover the meatloaf with foil for the first 45 minutes and uncover it for the final 15 minutes to allow the meatloaf to brown on top.

Covering your meatloaf is a matter of preference. When you cover a meatloaf, the meat cooks more evenly thanks to the steam trapped inside the pan. The foil or lid also helps the meat retain its moisture, which is useful when cooking with lean meats (like chicken or turkey).

Not Cooking the Meatloaf Long Enough

Undercooking the meatloaf can also contribute to excess moisture. Make sure to cook the meatloaf thoroughly to evaporate any excess liquid. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature reaches at least 160°F.