The brief cold spell we had last month had me pining for comfort food, and I turned to who better than Smitten Kitchen. A photo of her Tomato-Glazed Meatloaf and Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes popped up on my Instagram feed, and I pulled up the recipe immediately. I did make a batch of mashed potatoes to go with this, but I didn’t use the recipe paired with the meatloaves on Smitten Kitchen – it was a bit too rich for me. I went for a lighter version and used a pastry blender instead of a potato ricer to mash the potatoes.
Aesthetically and practically, I liked that the recipe separated the meatloaf into individual giant meatball-like servings instead of your typical bread-loaf shape making it much more freezer friendly. I had originally intended to wrap a few up in plastic wrap and freeze for another time, but Kev and I loved them so much we polished them all off in just a few days.
Here’s the recipe as adapted from Smitten Kitchen for just the Tomato-Glazed Meatloaves! Instead of using sandwich bread, I used panko breadcrumbs.
INGREDIENTS:
GLAZE
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons smooth dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
MEATLOAVES
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 medium stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 1 teaspoon fine sea or table table salt, plus more for vegetables
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds ground beef (I used 1 lb 90% lean ground sirloin, and 1 lb 85% lean ground beef)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup milk
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, and simmer, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes until and glaze is satiny smooth. Set aside.
Make the Glaze - Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat 2 9×13-inch baking dishes with nonstick spray, or line with nonstick foil for easy clean-up.
- Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot to a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, coat the bottom with olive oil, and heat the oil for a minute; add the finely chopped vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
Brown the Pureed Vegetables - Add the vegetables to a large bowl with the panko breadcrumbs, then add the remaining ingredients.
- Stir the ingredients together with a fork or your hands until evenly blended.
Get Your Hands Dirty! - Form the meatloaf mixture into twelve 3-inch meatballs; each will weigh about 4 ounces. Arrange 6 in each prepared baking pan, evenly. Drizzle or brush each meatball with a teaspoon or so of the tomato glaze you made earlier, and bake until cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a cooked meatball will register 160 to 165F).
All Dressed Up and Ready to Go!
We ate this with the aforementioned mashed potatoes, and some parmesan roasted cauliflower and garlic lemon asparagus.
AT-AT Everywhere 