This recipe would be wonderful but for the cooking time. There's no way this is baked fully in 45 min.....2.5 lbs of meat was completely rare. I cooked it for 45 additional minutes at 350.
It's unfortunate to have to rate this pretty darned good meatloaf so poorly, but the fact that the cooking time is SO way off can neither be excused nor ignored. While he does mention that the meatloaf should reach a temperature of 160 degrees, a professional chef certainly ought to know that a 2-1/2 pound meatloaf would never cook through in 45 minutes, and this error could result in a very disappointing outcome for the inexperienced cook who trusts the recipe. The error should be corrected, as the recipe itself deserves a better rating - and the cooks who try this should be able to rely on the directions. As for the meatloaf itself, the "almost puree" of vegetables was novel for me, and I liked it. Not only are you getting some extra nutrients, but all these vegetables also contribute moisture and great flavor to the meatloaf. I'm not a fan of "Italian seasoning," so I just threw in a handful of fresh herbs - parsley, sage, thyme and oregano. I omitted the cayenne. I also skipped the glaze, which neither of us cares for. Cooking time will vary given the size and shape of your meatloaf, but my 2 pound loaf was cooked just right at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. (AR, if you correct the time and temp on this recipe, please raise my rating to four stars)
I made meat loaf last night, as someone stated the cooking time is off. more like Bake at 350°F for 1 hour 15 minutes
I increased the italian herbs (I assumed that to mean italian seasoning--I used my own homemade italian seasoning) to two teaspoons and I used homemade croutons (day old bread, brushed with EVOO and garlic powder, cut into 1 inch pieces and baked until crispy, then cooled) that I ground down in the food processor. Those were the only changes I made. Ginormous meat loaf. It fit in my Perfect Meat Loaf pan, but just barely, with a quarter inch at the top. Mine did take almost two hours to bake, taken out the last half hour to pour over the glaze. This was one of the better meat loaves I've ever made. Very flavorful, quite filling. I served homemade biscuits and Cheesy Vegetable Medley with this. Out of that big meatloaf, just under half remains--my oldest boy ate two pieces and my husband ate three! We all really liked it. The rest will be used for sandwiches in lunches tomorrow. I'll make this meat loaf again.
My husband loved this meatloaf. My advice is to also watch the video because he gives you some extra tips on how to make it moist and tender. But whoever said there is alot of chopping involved is right. But meatloaf is easy to prepare ahead of time. While your chopping, chop extra and freeze it so that next time you will have it chopped already.
I did not have all the vegetables so used what I had available at the time (carrots, celery & onion). I did use a food processor & think the finely chopped veg.s (even just the few I used) positively added to the flavor and moisture. I don't think the fine chopping can be achieved by hand. I watched the video & noted forming the loaf in a dish rather than I had been accustomed to using a bread loaf pan. I doubt I'll ever use a loaf pan again for meatloaf. I liked how this cooked in a larger casserole dish. I gave this 4 stars only because the sauce was too "mustardy" taste. We like a sweeter sauce so I just added more ketchup & brown sugar.
Classic Meatloaf Haiku: "So close to five stars! We weren't fond of the glaze. Otherwise, awesome!" Absolutely adored this meatloaf, but the glaze was just a tad on the sweet side. I halved the recipe for 1 lb. beef, omitted mushrooms (didn't have any, but I just increased the other veggies - pureed veggies in meatloaf = brilliant!!) and baked mine at 350 for an hour. Seriously moist, magnificent meatloaf that I'll gladly make again, but I'd reduce, or drop the brown sugar all together next time.
The time is correct but you must put it in an open pan and shape as he does in the video. If you are making it in a loaf pan it has to cook longer. I cooked as he did in video and it was right on.
This recipe is really good and a good way to sneak in some veggies. I didn't have celery, so used green pepper and omitted the mushrooms because of lack thereof, but would definitely add them next time. the main difference was I put them in muffin tins (the big ones, not the little cupcake ones) and they were wonderful. Cooked it at 350 for 30-35min TOTAL. Very flavorful and moist.
