This quick cooking meatloaf recipe packs plenty of flavor, and is delicious with an Italian red wine. Recipe adapted from Chef Edward Lee, as it appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Our version is an eggless meatloaf recipe.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, cook until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the bacon and mushrooms, cook until the bacon begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add the ground beef, bread crumbs, apple sauce, Madeira and 1/4 cup of the ketchup. Season with salt and pepper. With clean hands, mix all the ingredients together until they are well mixed.
Move the meat mixture to a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Pat the mixture into a loaf shape, about 2 1/2 inches thick. Place in the oven to bake.
Prepare the glaze as the meatloaf begins to bake. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup in a small bowl with the brown sugar and soy sauce, and set aside.
After the meatloaf has baked for 6 minutes, remove from the oven. Brush the glaze over the top of the meatloaf. Return to oven to cook for 20 minutes. After 26 to 30 minutes total cooking time, remove from oven. Check to see that it is cooked through–internal temperature should be 145 to 150 degrees.
Slice the meatloaf, and serve with mashed potatoes and a glass of red wine. Enjoy!
Notes
We like to use grass fed ground beef, as it contains more healthy fats and has ecological advantages. But you can certainly use the ground beef you typically purchase.
The 2 tsp apple sauce are a replacement for 1 egg yolk in the original recipe. We don’t cook with eggs due to a food allergy. You could swap and use the egg yolk if you prefer.
We used Madeira, a fortified red wine; Port is similar if you have that handy. The original recipe called for bourbon. We don’t tend to have bourbon on hand so went with the wine option.