Cassie Meatloaf is one of those meals that can easily bring you back to childhood. Pair it with mashed potatoes and asparagus and I’m in comfort food heaven! The best part of this recipe, is the added veggies and the homemade ketchup. It makes a big difference.
First things first, you’ll want to make the ketchup. I usually allow the dates to soak in hot water for about 20 minutes to get them good and soft. If you don’t soak them long enough then you’ll end up with chunks in your ketchup. Once they are done soaking, drain the water and add all the ingredients to a food processor or blend and process on high. You’ll need to scrap the walls a couple times to ensure everything mixes well. Once blended, store in an airtight container until you are ready to use it with your meatloaf.
Next up, sauté your onions until translucent and then add in your garlic and mushrooms. Cook for an additional 3 minutes while adding a small amount of salt. Once soft, remove from the heat and let cool.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatloaf. Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add ketchup to the top and cook for an additional 40-45 minutes until the meatloaf reached 165 degree F in the middle.
Allow your meatloaf to cool for 10 minutes before serving and ENJOY!
Paleo Meatloaf {with homemade ketchup}
Ingredients
for the ketchup:
- ⅓ cup medjool dates pitted, soaked in hot water soften, and drained (use ¼ cup if you want it less sweet)
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 3 tbsp water (in addition to soaking the dates)
- 2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp chipotle pepper (optional for spice)
for the meatloaf:
- 2 lbs 85% lead grass fed ground beef
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- 1 small onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp ghee for cooking onion, garlic & mushrooms
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- ¼-⅓ cups ketchup for top of the loaf
Instructions
prepare your ketchup first
- In a food processor or high speed blender, process/blend all ingredients on high speed until pureed, scraping the sides to incorporate all ingredients evenly. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
prepare the meatloaf
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- In a medium skillet, sauce the onions in the 2 tbsp of ghee (or other cooking fat) until soft, add garlic and mushrooms, sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt and continue to cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, eggs, almond flour, 3 tbsp ketchup, mustard, Italian seasoning, black better and cooked onions/garlic/mushrooms. Mix with your hands until well incorporated but try not to over-mix, since this will toughen the meat.
- Transfer the meat mixture to a 9×5 loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove and spread ¼-⅓ cup of the ketchup over the top of the loaf, return to oven and continue to bake for 40-45 minutes more until the center is cooked (internal temp of 160 degrees F).
- Allow the loaf to rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve. Enjoy!
