Happy Thursday! I wanted to start a fun little series on the blog called WE EAT. We live in a world of misinformation, and it’s so important for us to know where our food comes from and what benefits we receive from different types of food. This week I’m featuring my simple meatloaf recipe (WE EAT- Beef).
We eat A LOT of beef in our house, mainly because we fill our freezer with 1/2 a beef every year or so. For this recipe, we used 2 pounds of ground beef (ours is typically about 85% lean). I love using this meatloaf recipe to make ahead of time and pop it in the freezer for later too! It’s also a favorite to use during harvest (along with these meals here).
WE EAT- BEEF- MEATLOAF RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs ground beef (optional- sub out 1 lb of ground beef for 1 lb pork sausage)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup crushed cracker crumbs
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together brown sugar & ketchup in a small bowl; set aside
- Combine beef, eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and cracker crumbs in a bowl. Shape mixture into a loaf. Place loaf in a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan.
- Bake 1 hour. Remove from oven, drain grease, and spread ketchup topping over loaf. Bake 15 minutes longer or until loaf is done. Cool at least 10 minutes, and carefully transfer loaf onto a plate to slice.
I like to serve this meatloaf recipe with a side of potatoes (these Instapot mashed potatoes are super quick to make!) and a vegetable.
TIP: If your beef is frozen, put the package in a sink full of hot water to thaw. Your meat will be completely thawed in about 30 minutes!
WHY WE EAT BEEF
Red meat is an excellent source of high biological value protein, vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin B6, iron, zinc and phosphorus. When choosing beef, you have the choice between grain fed or grass fed. Our beef that we butcher is primarily grain fed- but also have access to hay in their daily rations. Which kind is best?
The difference is grass fed meat is it’s more lean, with less fat content and higher in Vitamin A. But grain fed tends to be more tender, with higher amounts of Omega 6 (antioxidants).
The fact of the matter is both grass and grain fed beef are raised humanly- with proper care and consideration for the consumers who will be purchasing it. One isn’t better than the other- they both have their benefits, to meet the different needs of different consumers.
