Top-Rated Gourmet Meatloaf

But lighter!

One of the top-rated meatloaf recipes on the Food Network website comes from the Joe Allen restaurant. We are making this meatloaf lower in saturated fat and higher in fiber by making a few switches. Instead of using 1 cup of white bread breadcrumbs, I used 100% whole-wheat bread. Instead of sauteing the vegetables in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, I used 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Ground sirloin (around 7% fat) is the base for our light meatloaf instead of regular fat ground beef and I used 1 higher omega-3 egg plus 2 tablespoons egg substitute (or 1 egg white) instead of 2 regular eggs.

WHAT YOU SAVE
Making these changes cut from each serving:

• 110 calories
• 14 grams total fat
• 5 grams saturated fat
• 25 mg cholesterol

And fiber increases by about .5 gram per serving!

Light Restaurant Meatloaf

Photo: Elaine Magee

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried thyme can be used)
3 pounds ground sirloin or extra lean ground beef (around 7% fat)
1 cup whole wheat fresh bread crumbs (put 2 to 3 slices of firm whole wheat bread into a small food processor and pulse until breadcrumbs form)
1 large egg, higher omega-3 if available
2 tablespoons egg substitute (or 1 egg white)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (add another tablespoon if desired)
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (add more if desired)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Coat a 9 x 9-inch round or square nonstick baking dish lightly with canola oil.
2. Heat tablespoon of canola oil in medium nonstick frying pan. Stir in onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and thyme and saute until soft. Let cool slightly.
3. In large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients, along with the cooled vegetables, and mix with your clean hands or a strong mixing spoon. Shape meat mixture into a loaf in the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake for about 1 hour or until meat is cooked throughout and nicely brown on the edges. Serve with mashed potatoes or any other favorite side dish!

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Nutrition Information
Per serving: 280 calories, 35 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 10.5 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 120 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g fiber, 314 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 34 percent.

Journal as: 1 serving "lean meat with sauce"

The Series:

• Comfort Food Makeovers
• The Mashed Potato Makeover
• Macaroni and Cheese, Please!
• The Fried Chicken Makeover
• Top-Rated Gourmet Meatloaf
• Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

Related Topics:

• Cheap and Easy Recipes and Dinner Ideas
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox