Sweet & Sour Meatloaf
There is definitely something to be said about “old school” recipes and this is one of my favourites. When I got married (for the first time) in 1981, it seemed that every new bride was gifted with the Second Helpings Please! Cookbook. It was considered to be a culinary “bible” of good old fashioned Jewish recipes that has been a staple for years in my cookbook repertoire. I LOVE THAT BOOK.
When I first started baking, I was only nine years old. I remember using a recipe from the NAOMI COOKBOOK which mom had a copy of and never used. Why? As I mentioned before, my mom never followed measured recipes and cooked from eyeballing all the ingredients. This of course was always a pain in the tush to deal with because I wanted to recreate every delicious recipe that she made. The only way to do so was to stand right next to her and basicallly learn with your eyes and feel the measurments with your hands. Not an easy task but 100% doable. Now that I’m older, I can honestly say the “unmeasured method” poses a risk to the outcome of most of her recipes. I think I have nailed them but I also say a short prayer before I begin. It goes like this. Dear Lord: give me the strength and luck to not FK this up before 15 people come for dinner. Amen and thanks a bunch.
Anyways, I took that cookbook and made a utter mess of it doodling all over it and spilling ingredients on each page. The doodling was mostly of faces of ladies with nice lips plus a lot of hearts and flowers. I still have that cookbook and I will cherish it forever and ever even though it looks like a train wreck. The sign of a well-loved cookbook is always an ingredient stain. Remember that.
Let’s get back to why I love this recipe so much. First of all, it’s easy to make and you know how I feel about easy recipes. The meatloaf is ALWAYS no fail. You can’t screw this up. Trust me. It is coated with the most divine glaze and lately I have been doubling the sauce recipe just so that I can serve extra over mashed potatoes or rice.
This is classic comfort food at it’s best, is perfect for family dinners and makes the most divine leftover meatloaf sandwiches. Yes, I will even eat the leftovers cold, it is THAT good. Oh, another thing that is great about this recipe is that you don’t have to cook the sauce. Instead, just whisk the ingredients together and brush over the meat. With just a few simple ingredients you’ll create a sweet and tangy glaze that’s beyond delish.
I like to use ground chicken or turkey for this recipe because I’m not a red meat eater but you can use a combo of anything you like for this meatloaf. This is also not a recipe that solely depends on the season, I make this all year round because comfort food is comforting in any temperature. You are going to love this “retro” classic.
Sweet & Sour Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. minced meat
- 2 extra large eggs
- ¼ cup fine bread crumbs
- 2 pieces of challah, processed into fine crumbs
- salt + pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 6 oz tin tomato paste
- ¾ tin water
- 1 tbls Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Combine first 6 ingredients, mix with your hands until fully combined.
- Combine remaining ingredients until smooth.
- Blend 2/3 cup of the sauce into the meat mixture.
- Shape into a loaf and place on a shallow baking pan.
- Pour remaining sauce around the loaf.
- Bake at 400F for one hour. Baste occasionally.
- NOTE: I like to double the sauce recipe above so that I have extra to pour over mashed potatoes or rice.
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