Smokey, Chipotle Laced Meatloaf

Growing up, I never particularly cared for meatloaf. It was one of those foods that I kind of dreaded when my mom would make it, and inevitably ended with me sitting at the table until my food was finished. I'm not sure what it was about the meatloaf that I didn't like...maybe it was the name? I'm not sure. But as I got older, my tastes changed, and I was more adventurous (that sounds really funny in reference to meatloaf), and developed a like for this comforting food. It could have also been the fact that my dad talked my mom into adding chopped pickles into the meatloaf because that is how my Grandmother did it. Till this day, I absolutely adore chopped pickles in my meatloaf, and add them to my basic meatloaf which I will include in this post as well. 

Meatloaf is awesome accompanied with mashed potatoes, but I accompanied mine with cauliflower mash, and I the way I make mine is listed in my previous blog post about broccoli & cheese soup! 

The best part about meatloaf is that you can eat it for days as leftovers. My 17 year old son Jay pretty much claimed the leftovers as his own, and refused to share them. I hope whomever he marries can cook, because that boy loves to eat, and the food he likes does not come from a box or drive-thru. Anyhow...meatloaf, the dinner of champions. Here it is:

                                     

Smokey-Chipotle Laced Meatloaf

3 pounds of grass fed, lean, ground beef

1 TBS of ghee, or olive oil, or coconut oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced, or through garlic press

2 medium carrots, grated on a fine setting

2 TBS of ground flax seed or flax meal

1/2 cup of almond meal (I use Trader Joe's because it has the same texture as bread crumbs)

1/2 tsp of sea salt

2 eggs

1 cup of chipotle ketchup (recipe follows at the end of the recipe), divided.

1. Heat ghee in a pan over medium heat, and sauté the onions, garlic, and carrots until translucent. Remove from heat, and let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place meat in large bowl, and add the sautéed veggies, flax meal, almond meal, sea salt, eggs, and 1/2 cup of the ketchup.

3. Mix the ingredients together with hands, making sure to combine them together evenly.

4. Line a rimmed, baking sheet with foil, and mound the meatloaf mixture onto the lined baking sheet, and form into a loaf.

5. Top the meatloaf with the remaining 1/2 cup of ketchup, and spread out over the top of the meatloaf.

6. Place the meatloaf in the oven for one hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle registers 160 degrees. 

7. Let meatloaf rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing to serve.

             

Smokey, Chipotle Ketchup

15 oz can of organic, sugar-free tomato sauce (I used Muir Glen)

1 tsp of sea salt

1/2 tsp of onion powder

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 cup of pineapple juice

1-2 chipotle chilies, seeded and minced *add 1 or 2 depending on your heat tolerance

2 TBS of the chipotle sauce from the can of chilies

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and whisk together. Save in an airtight container or jar for up to a week in the refrigerator.

                    

For Basic Meatloaf:

Omit Chipotle chilies from the the ketchup recipe

To the meatloaf mix, add 3 regular sized pickles, minced. 

That's it. 

Other variations, can include wrapping the meatloaf with bacon, and stuffing it with meat and cheese. That's the great thing about meatloaf is that it is so versatile, it can be made into literally any kind of ethnicity, or regional flavor. Now go make some, and ENJOY!!