Guest Post: Tomato Glazed Meatloaf

We have a guest in our kitchen today! Renée from Sweetsugarbean and she is cooking up a storm for you!

Hi everyone! My name is Renée Kohlman and Sweetsugarbean is my food blog I’ve been writing for eight years. I live in beautiful Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where I happily whip up delicious creations in my little green kitchen. Being a chef as well as a food writer and recipe developer, I’m lucky to have turned my passion for all things food into a career I love. I’m especially proud of my award-winning debut cookbook All the Sweet Things which was released in the spring of 2017 and won GOLD at the Taste Canada Awards for Best Single Subject Cookbook of 2017. I’m so proud of that accomplishment! Free time (remind me what that is again!) includes gardening, reading and eating too much chocolate.

I’m always excited when Mushrooms Canada asks me to write a guest post for their blog. Mushrooms are a staple in my kitchen and it’s always a thrill to put them into new recipes. They have such a great meaty texture, mushrooms are a natural fit for blending and extending ground meat. This not only helps to save money at the checkout, but there are also nutritional bonus points. Mushrooms are great to use year-round as they are the only vegetable that contains vitamin D. Bursting with antioxidants and cancer-fighting compounds, not to mention being low in calories, mushrooms play an important and delicious part of my culinary adventures in the kitchen. I minced up button mushrooms for this comforting meatloaf, but cremini or even portabella would be wonderful.

There is magic in meatloaf. And if you’re shaking your head in disagreement, perhaps you haven’t had good meatloaf. One bite of a well-prepared meatloaf will make you sigh with happiness, and maybe even curl your toes. And if that doesn’t float your boat, then surely a grilled meatloaf sandwich the next day will. I used lean ground beef, which gets extended with sautéed minced mushrooms. I really love the combination of beef and mushrooms, along with hits of garlic, mustard, and herbs. I usually shape my loaf free-form style as I can’t be bothered to stuff it into a loaf pan. I also can’t be bothered to scrub stuck-on meat from a baking sheet either, so I always line it and a wire rack with foil, sculpting the loaf right on the foil-lined rack. I saw Martha Stewart do this once on TV, and she’s never wrong, right? Baking the loaf this way ensures greater surface area for the glaze, and those coveted crispy bits. The glaze – a tangy concoction of ingredients you have in the fridge and pantry – is added halfway through baking time, so it won’t burn but will ensure the loaf is nice and burnished. Once it’s baked, be sure to let the meatloaf sit, tented with foil, for about 15 minutes before slicing. It doesn’t get more classic comfort food than meatloaf. With umami-rich mushrooms and a tangy tomato glaze, this meatloaf is more veggie-forward, savoury and craveable than ever. It’s also sure to become a family favourite.

 

Tomato Glazed Meatloaf

Makes 6 servings

 

Ingredients

Glaze

1 Tbsp canola oil 1/4 cup ketchup

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

Meatloaf

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion, finely chopped

8 oz mushrooms, minced 1 garlic clove, minced

1lb lean ground beef

3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 cup chopped parsley

2Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard 1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

 

 

Directions

Glaze

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer, whisking constantly, over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Set aside.

 

Meatloaf

1. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, stir in the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms release all moisture, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine remaining meatloaf ingredients, as well as the cooled vegetables. Gently mix with your hands.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Line a wire rack with foil as well and place it on the baking sheet. Place the meatloaf mixture on the rack and shape into a loaf. Bake for 30 minutes, then evenly spread the glaze on top and bake for another 30-35 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 160F (71 C). Remove from the oven and lightly tent with Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

 

You can follow Renée’s cooking adventures online at Sweetsugarbean and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

 

This project was funded in part through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of the Partnership in Ontario.