When I was a kid, meatloaf was a favorite meal that my mom made. While it’s still tasty I’m sure, the thing I remember most about it was that she made it using a packet of onion soup mix, and still does to this day.

These days, I try to stay clear of seasoning packets. No offense to my mom, but while those packets are certainly tasty, the reason for that is they are loaded with sodium, chemicals, and other things that aren’t so great from a nutrition standpoint.

When I set out to make my own meatloaf, I tried to avoid that stuff. Luckily, I have a wide variety of healthy seasoning blends at my disposal, so coming up with a combination wasn’t so difficult. While there are lots of good options, I settled on a combination of Ava Jane’s Kitchen’s Nana’s Italian seasoning and Everyday Blend for the meatloaf, and an extra bit of Everyday Blend for the glaze. These two provide the right herby salt and pepper flavor that makes a perfect meatloaf, especially when served with creamy mashed potatoes.

The glaze is something kinda new to me, but I wanted something tangy and sweet for my meatloaf. Keeping with my theme of avoiding fillers, I used a Paleo style ketchup that is unsweetened but still tangy. A bit of brown sugar adds sweet molasses flavor. Feel free to use your favorite here. All in all, this meatloaf is nothing groundbreaking, just a good old fashioned homestyle dish that will remind you of old favorites without all the bad stuff that comes with it.

Serves 8
Prep time: about an hour

Ingredients:

Meatloaf:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon AJK ‘s Nana’s Italian spice blend

1 teaspoon AJK ‘s Everyday Blend spice

 

Glaze:

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Everyday Blend

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Add beef, onion, egg, garlic, breadcrumbs, milk, and seasonings to a bowl. Using your hands, mix gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

Add to loaf pan, gently press down and bake for 30 minutes.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Spread over meatloaf and return to oven. Bake for 15 minutes.

Easy to print recipe: Nana’s Meatloaf