Recipe: Meatloaf but Make it Healthy (GF, DF)

This meatloaf is gluten & dairy free, and I love to make it with an organ meat ground beef blend for TONS of added nutrients!

I get it - organ meat (liver, kidneys, heart, etc) doesn’t sound always sound appealing. But, if you can get past the taste, or sneak it into recipes (like this one) where you can’t even taste it, your body will thank you. 

Organ meat is some of the most nutrient-dense food available to us. It contains iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc, along with a whole host of vitamins like A, D, E, and K. It’s also an excellent source of B-vitamins like B9 (folate), B6, and B12, which is necessary for making brain and nerve cells, DNA, and red blood cells (1). 

Organ meats also contain alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) which has been shown to protect mitochondria (the powerhouse of our cells) from damage, and helps turn nutrients into energy (1).

And if all that wasn’t enough to convince you, animal protein is also one of most complete sources of protein. It provides all nine essential amino acids and is the most easily absorbed and used by your body (2).

I try to eat organ meat at least every other week. I sneak it into meatballs, lasagna, and pasta sauce, but my all-time favorite way to eat it is in this meatloaf! 

Full Recipe

Dry Ingredients:

• Gluten free crackers ground in a food processor to create 1 cup of ‘breadcrumbs’

• The best tip I can give anyone gluten free: When a recipe calls for breadcrumbs, don’t buy ‘Gluten Free Breadcrumbs’ at the store. Instead, buy crackers like these Simple Mills almond flour crackers and grind them in a food processor until the crumbles are small enough to resemble breadcrumbs!

• 2 TBSP dried chopped onion

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried parsley

• ½ tsp paprika

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

Other Ingredients:

• 1 egg, whisked

• ¼ cup cashew milk (or unsweetened/unflavored milk of choice

• My ultimate favorite dairy-free milk is Elmhurst Cashew Milk

• 3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

• Lea & Perrins is Gluten Free

• 1.5 lbs ground beef blend 

• I usually use 1lb of the Force of Nature Ancestral Blend (which contains a blend of regular muscle meat, liver, and heart) + ½ lb regular grass-fed ground beef, usually 93% lean

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl

3. Whisk egg in a separate smaller bowl or cup, then pour over dry ingredients

4. Add milk and Worcestershire sauce to large bowl with dry ingredients and egg

5. Mix milk, Worcestershire, dry ingredients, and egg and let your concoction sit/marinate for a few minutes

6. Add beef to bowl and mix everything together

7. Line an 8x4 loaf pan with parchment paper

1. Parchment paper is not necessary but does make it easier to pull the finished loaf out of the pan after cooking. When I use parchment paper, I opt for unbleached as it hasn’t been treated with chemicals like chlorine to turn it white.

8. Put the meat mixture into the loaf pan

9. Bake for ~75 minutes

1. If you use a 9x5 loaf pan, bake for 60 minutes

2. Internal temp should be 160 F

10. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes out of the oven after cooking - it will be hot!

Optional add-on:

• Some people like to put a glaze on top of their meatloaf. If you so desire, after step 8 but before step 9 (before putting your loaf in the oven):

• Mix 2 TBSP ketchup + 1 TBSP mustard + 1 TBSP date sugar or coconut sugar in a small bowl

• Spread the mixture on top of the loaf in your loaf pan

• Return to step 9