This might be my favorite new recipe – this dish is decadent without being overly heavy and has tremendous flavor.
It has been far too long since I tried to rock a new meatloaf recipe. After a somewhat tough week I decided it was time to lean into my comfort food. Per usual, I had no plan so started poking around the vegetable drawer and created this new dish that Dave and I both absolutely loved.
The tender sweetened onion and caramelized prosciutto just sing perfectly together. And don’t even get me started on how much I love leeks. I pretty much throw them in everything. Leeks are the most fabulous flavor accessory to any recipe. Seriously addicting flavor bomb.
How to best cook meatloaf
While I form this recipe into two loaves you can certainly make one biggin’ or even make them personal sized into 4 little cute ones. The world is your oyster. The one thing I don’t do is put the meatloaf a loaf pan. I prefer free forming the loaves and placing them on a sheet pan to bake. This way the top and sides get nice and caramelized.
Baking in a deep pan tends to create a soggy meatloaf since it’s kind of sitting in its own juices. Adding some fat with flavor into the meatloaf mix (the prosciutto!) insures a flavorful loaf that is just perfection. Once I flipped to this method of cooking, I never went back. And…I am the meatloaf lady!
What to serve with meatloaf
I am SO pro mashed potatoes and meatloaf. It’s like Bert and Ernie or Beans and Rice. Just perfect. These creamy double-garlic mashed potatoes recipe from Alexa Weibel on New York Times Cooking is an all-time favorite. The recipe hits all the high notes you want from a mashed tot – creamy, buttery, herby and and a delightful surprise crunch from the fried garlic. YAS.
I am also partial to carrots on the side of meatloaf. My recipe for roasted carrots in duck fat with blue cheese and almonds is always a lovely contender (feel free to leave out blue cheese for less flavor bangs). But even simple grilled carrots or sliced and caramelized carrots (which is what I cooked with this recipe – in a sauté pan over low heat) was perfection.
What to make with leftover meatloaf
I’m a bit of a nut and enjoy a cold piece of meatloaf dipped in ketchup. But if you’d like something a bit more put together, a meatloaf sandwich is the way to go. You just need some squishy white bread slathered with mayo (I used Gin Mayo) and ketchup, crunchy lettuce, pickles and a couple slices of meatloaf. It’s kind of the best.
Prosciutto and Leek Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs Butter
- 1 Chopped Red Onion
- 1 Sliced Leek
- 8 Pieces Prosciutto
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 1/2 Cup Panko
- 1/2 Cup 2% Milk
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tbs Soy Sauce
- 1 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Chop the red onion and clean and slice the leek.
- Get a sauce pan on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the butter and the red onion to the pan and cook for about 7 minutes until tender.
- Then add the leek and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Next add the beef, panko, milk, egg, soy sauce, salt and pepper to a large bowl.
- Add the onions and leek to the same bowl.
- Next pull the prosciutto into smaller pieces and add to the same pan you just cooked the onions and leeks in, cook at medium heat.
- Cook the prosciutto until it's browned (but not burned) and caramelized about 3 minutes.
- Add the prosciutto to the bowl and mix together all the ingredients until well combined – I always use my hands, feel free to use a spoon!
- Split the mixture into two halves and plop them onto a baking sheet.
- Form them into two loaves and pop into the oven.
- Cook for 45 minutes, remove and let cool for a few minutes, then serve with a dollop of creamy mashed potatoes and caramelized carrots. YUM.