Pesto Meatloaf
Introduction
Americans are fervently proud of their most famous comfort food, so we probably won't be making any friends with traditionalists with our version that incorporates, of course, pesto.
But hey, we figure it must surely be our constitutional right to experiment.
To be completely candid, we’ve never eaten a meatloaf made by an American chef, so we can’t comment on how ours compares. What we do know, though, is that whenever we cook this recipe, it always passes our “recipe request test,” which is to say that everyone we serve it to pesters us for the recipe.
When we want to really impress, we wrap ours in streaky bacon, and to claw back a little authenticity, we brush it in a sticky, and slightly spicy tomato-based, BBQ-style glaze.
Pro tip
Cooking your meatloaf in the oven will yield a traditional texture, but using a bain-marie instead will result in an exceptional tender texture that we rather like but that isn’t to everyone’s taste.
Ingredients for one meatloaf
| Mince* | 50g |
| Pesto | 190g |
| Breadcrumbs | 100g |
| Whole milk | 150g |
| Celery | 100g |
| Onion | 100g |
| Carrot | 100g |
| Red pepper | 100g |
| Garlic | 15g |
| Egg | x1 |
| Seasoning | to taste |
| Olive oil | as needed |
| Bacon | as needed |
* Our go-to mince is 50:50 pork and beef, which has a 20% fat content. Go ahead and use lean turkey mince if you’re watching the calories. It’ll just be a little less tasty and not quite as juicy.
Sticky glaze (optional) ingredients
| Tomato ketchup | 20g |
| Cider vinegar | 15g |
| Molasses | 10g |
| Muscovado | 7g |
| Worcestershire | dash |
Method
Finely dice the carrots, onions, celery, and red pepper and sauté in olive oil over a low heat until nicely caramelised, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes before setting aside.
Meanwhile, use a food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs, soak them in the milk, and set aside.
Place the mince in a large mixing bowl and season generously with salt and pepper.
Mix everything together, but don't overwork it. Transfer the mixture to a loaf tin lined with streaky bacon, pack it down firmly, and smooth over the top.
Cook in a 200°C oven until the internal temperature measures 70°C, about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and carefully pour away any excess fat that will have come from the meat. Tip the loaf onto a baking tray and paint with the sticky glaze, if using.
Grill until nicely caramelised. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving, or refrigerate for up to 3 days if using in sandwiches.
Serving suggestions
Buttery mashed potato and grilled maple syrup-glazed Brussel sprouts
Sweet potato, lamb's lettuce, and fig salad
Grilled corn with spicy aioli
Harissa-roast carrots with crushed, toasted pecans
New England baked beans