It seems fitting that I post a meatloaf recipe on the eve of my mom’s birthday as it was one of her specialties and a dish that never disappointed. Unfortunately, we don’t have an official record of her recipe as this was one that she always threw together with some meat, ketchup, bread crumbs, and eggs. On meatloaf nights your plate was packed with creamy mashed potatoes, buttery green beans, warm glazed carrots, and a sturdy piece of meatloaf with an obligatory side of ketchup. Mom nailed it – every time – and we let her know.
My father took our unwavering support of mom’s non-recipe driven consistent crowd pleaser as a challenge. If she could throw a bunch of ingredients in a bowl, call it a loaf and receive rave reviews he could do the same. His goal was for no one to notice that anything had changed and for us to believe that our plate was again filled with our beloved family meatloaf. So, over the years he slowly adjusted one tiny ingredient at a time and closely monitored our unconscious reactions. It wasn’t until I was in college that we learned we had been eating meatloaves with bbq sauce, oatmeal, worcestershire, diced veggies and honestly – who knows what else!
When I met my husband I was excited to learn that meatloaf also had a special place in his heart. At first I wouldn’t entertain the fact that this was a meatloaf. It was full of mushrooms and covered with a gravy. But, once I tried it I must say that my definition for meatloaf has been expanded. 
This recipe here we doubled and ended up enjoying for lunches for several days. The dish is loaded with cream of mushroom soup and then topped with a mushroom and white wine gravy. We served it with garlicky cauliflower puree and cider-braised brussels sprouts with bacon.
Now, here is my real question for the blog world. How the heck do you take a beautiful picture of meatloaf?!
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds of meat (ground beef – 80 to 80% lean)
- 1 diced onion
- 2 eggs – whisked
- 1.5 Tablespoons of worcestershire
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- Some mushrooms – apx 1 cup
- 2 Tablespoons parsley
- 3/4 can cream of mushroom soup
- A few splashes of white wine (optional)
Steps and Notes:
- Mix half the can of soup with all of the ingredients and the meat. Mix well with hands
- Spray a baking dish and form the meat into a loaf shape
- Bake at 350 for 1.5 hours
- Blend the remaining soup with 1/4 cup of water adding wine as you wish
- With 20 minutes remaining pour the sauce over the meat and bake for 20 more minutes
Thoughts for Next Time:
- Make an asian style with a hoisin glaze
- Make individual meatloaves in muffin tins
The Pantry Portfolio 
I like to say that the humble meatloaf is beyond externalities and able to focus on her inner Beauty 😂😋
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This is perfect and made me smile ear to ear. It should be a t-shirt or something.
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I am so glad!😊
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I love meatloaf. Yours looks so great !
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I love meatloaf as well! How do you prepare yours?
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Mine is quite basic, really … 2 onion, 1- 2 garlic,sauteed, transfer to a large bowl, add 700g beef mince, 250 g pork sausage meat, 45 ml tomato puree, 5 ml worcesterschire sauce, herbs, salt and pepper, Mix well. Place in greased loaf pan. Place loaft pan in a dish of hot water and bake in oven 200 degrees C for an hour in a loaf pan, 😉
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if this isn’t comfort food, I don’t know what is, sounds yummy!
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[…] and the clocks shifting back an hour, it is officially comfort food season. Last week I made meatloaf and this weekend these twice baked potatoes were exactly the warm treat I […]
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I laughed reading your comment b/c I very distinctly remember writing almost the exact same thing when we shared a meatloaf recipe! I definitely don’t have the photographic talent to make meatloaf look pretty 🙂
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YUM!!! This looks delicious!
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It’s true! Taking a picture of meatloaf is SO hard. Yours turned out looking yummy though.
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Thank you! My photography gets better with practice, especially on fun challenges like this.
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Sometimes I’ll make a great dish and just can’t get it to photograph. I want to say, “I promise it’s good!”
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[…] Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy. There’s nothing better than family made comfort food. This post on the blog The Pantry Portfolio reminiscences about mom’s version, trying to replicate it, and ending up at a new classic. I made meatloaf this week solely because of this post. Check it out. […]
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I shared this post on my Week in Review post today. Hope you have a wonderful and yummy weekend!
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Found you through Lacey’s blog– and love the recipe! What is better on a chilly day than meatloaf?? (and leftover meatloaf sandwiches!!). Fun to find your blog!
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I’m so glad you stopped by! Nice to meet you and I agree, meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food.
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[…] how they then adapted and shared their traditions with my brother and me as children, and this meatloaf recipe was one of her signature […]
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[…] and then to the keyboard where I’ve reverently documented memories of each of my grandmothers, my mother, our puppy Toby, and traditions from my childhood […]
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[…] can trigger memories, and mac and cheese, meatloaf, and stuffing are my trifecta. As a young child I stopped ordering mac and cheese at restaurants […]
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