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Better Late Than Never: Horseradish Meatloaf Recipe

October 22, 2007 by Nicole 39 Comments

Horseradish Meatloaf

Meatloaf Appreciation Day was on October 18th and I can’t believe I missed it! Actually, I can. I miss everything! But I did have every intention of participating in the meatloaf roundup hosted by Serious Eats. But even though I missed the deadline, I’m still going to share my Horseradish Meatloaf with you!

I’ll be the first to admit that this photo isn’t exactly drool-inducing. Meatloaf isn’t very photogenic and the fluorescent lighting in my kitchen didn’t help either! But trust me, this is good meatloaf! And that’s coming from someone who spent the first 32 years of her life hating all meatloaf!

That’s right. I have always hated meatloaf. My mom always put chopped onions in hers and that was more than enough to turn me off meatloaf. Because if there was anything I hated more than meatloaf as a kid, it was onions (and asparagus and mushrooms and fish)!

I could never understand why anyone would go out of their way to create one of these unsightly lumps of meat. And I really didn’t understand the fascination with meatloaf sandwiches. Cold, congealed meatloaf on bread? No thanks! But my parents loved meatloaf sandwiches and it seemed like I was one of the few people around me who didn’t think meatloaf sandwiches were the greatest thing ever.

I just didn’t get it.

And then, a few weeks ago, I needed to make dinner and we really didn’t have much in the house at all except a couple packages of ground beef in the freezer. I jokingly said to my husband, “Well, it looks like meatloaf tonight!” We both laughed for a minute, knowing full well that I wasn’t going to make something so disgusting for dinner.

But then I thought about it. What if I made my own version of onion-free meatloaf? Maybe the onions were the only thing I hated about it. I wasn’t convinced, but I decided to dig through a cookbook and find out what other ingredients a traditional meatloaf contains.

The first book I grabbed was Southern Living’s Homestyle Cooking, one of my favorites! I looked up ‘meatloaf’ in the index and there it was, Horseradish Meatloaf. I knew that it was meant to be. Horseradish has become one of my favorite flavors over the last few years and I knew that if I were going to like a meatloaf, this would be the one.

Of course I had to make a few changes. The main one being that I used onion powder instead of chopped onions. Don’t get me wrong, I do eat onions now. I cook with them all the time. But there is no way I will ever be able to eat meatloaf with chunks of onion in it. I was scarred for life when I was forced to eat it that way as a child and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Well, I made the horseradish meatloaf that night and it was a revelation! The house smelled better than it had since the last time I cooked a holiday meal here. Seriously, it smelled that good. And it tasted great, too! After the first bite, my husband looked at me and said, “Why is this the first time we’re eating meatloaf?” I couldn’t think of a good answer.

The only thing I didn’t like about the Southern Living recipe is that it called for rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs. I thought the oatmeal gave it a strange texture and it didn’t really hold together very well.

So, I made it again a week later and made some more changes. This time it was perfect. And now I do understand why people love meatloaf sandwiches so much! This meatloaf made one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. I tried them several ways but my favorite sandwich creation was meatloaf on homemade buttermilk bread with ketchup, mayo, lettuce and extra sharp cheddar. My mouth is watering right now just writing about it!

Perhaps the best thing about this meatloaf is the topping. I have been instructed by my husband to make twice as much sauce next time so that we can have extra for sandwiches. I think you might want to do the same!

The first time I made this, I used a loaf pan and the second time I formed the meat into a freestanding loaf on a baking sheet. I preferred the freestanding loaf but I’ll leave it to you to decide which way you want to do it!

So here’s my recipe for Horseradish meatloaf inspired by the recipe in the cookbook, Southern Living Homestyle Cooking.

  • Horseradish Meatloaf
  • 2 pounds ground beef (I use 85% lean)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 C. dry bread crumbs
  • 1/2 C. ketchup
  • 1 T. horseradish
  • 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 t. salt
  • 1 t. onion powder
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1/2 t. mustard powder
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1-2 T. chopped fresh parsley
  • Sauce:
  • 1/2 C. ketchup
  • 3 T. brown sugar
  • 1 T. horseradish
  • 2 t. spicy brown mustard
  • 1/2 t. mustard powder
  • 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • 2. In a large bowl, mix all meatloaf ingredients together well (Although messy, it’s easiest to do this with your hands). Press meat mixture into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or form into a freestanding loaf in the center of a baking sheet.
  • 3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Spoon half of the sauce mixture on top of the meatloaf. Place meatloaf in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 50 minutes.
  • 4. After 50 minutes, remove meatloaf from oven, spoon remaining sauce over the top and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for an additional 10 minutes before slicing.

If you’re like me and you missed the National Meatloaf Appreciation Day, you can still go to Serious Eats and see what everyone else came up with!

Related Recipes:

  • Monster Meatball Sandwiches
  • Homemade Sloppy Joes
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Around the Web:

  • Mom’s Meatloaf from Married…with dinner
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  • Stuffed Meatloaf from What We’re Eating
  • Classic Meat Loaf from Simply Recipes
  • Nicole’s Best Meatloaf from Baking Bites
  • Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce from Lucullian Delights

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachel says

    November 5, 2007 at 3:54 am

    This is the only meatloaf I have ever gotten my husband to eat. It's very tasty!!!
    Reply
  2. Nicole says

    November 5, 2007 at 8:42 am

    anita: I know lots of people like to use oatmeal, I'm probably one of the few who has a problem with the texture ;-) Adriana: Thanks for letting me know you tried it! Glad your family loved it :-) Rachel: Glad he likes it! How are you guys doing??
    Reply
  3. Uliana says

    November 7, 2007 at 7:38 pm

    Thank You Thank You. I too loath meat loaf, from the meat being shaped too the onions that are usually in it, BUT I did try this and it was GREAT!!! My whole family LOVED it and said they can't believe it was so full of flavor!! Thank you Pinch my salt.
    Reply
  4. Amy says

    December 2, 2007 at 12:50 pm

    Thank you! We made this for my birthday and it was fabulous. Instead of bread crumbs, I used panko. The day after was just as tasty, too! We made extra sauce and were glad we did. Thank you again!!
    Reply
  5. Stuck in AL says

    December 12, 2007 at 8:08 am

    I'm late sending you this, but I just have to say - THIS RECIPE ROCKS!!! Thank you so much! I love, love, love it and so does my husband. I'll never make it my old way again!
    Reply
  6. Nicole says

    December 12, 2007 at 9:21 am

    I'm so glad you guys are loving this recipe as much as I do! I like to think of it as a meatloaf for people who hate meatloaf :-) Of course it's also a meatloaf for people who love meatloaf! Thanks for all your comments!
    Reply
  7. Michelle says

    March 16, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    Nicole, LOVE your site, total food porn for me! How many servings does this make? Sounds really good! I put horseradish in my smashed red taters with skins last night and they were to die for!
    Reply
  8. Kristy says

    October 19, 2009 at 2:26 pm

    Soo.. I am in the process of making this meatloaf... I am freakin out... I am not quite the chef LOL but my husband LOVES horseradish so I had to try. Will let you know how it comes out! 10 more mins!
    Reply
  9. Kristy says

    October 19, 2009 at 2:26 pm

    Soo.. I am in the process of making this meatloaf... I am freakin out... I am not quite the chef LOL but my husband LOVES horseradish so I had to try. Will let you know how it comes out! 10 more mins!
    Reply
  10. Kristy says

    October 19, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    Mmmm Mmmm Mmm.. twas a success. Hubby Loved it. Next time, I need to work on the sauce a little more, it was too sweet ( I tried to adjust everything to 3 lbs beef) and I maybe cooked it too long bcit was a little.. Umm.. Chunky? Aside from that.... DELICIOUS. Thank you for this awesome recipe. God bless. Begginers Chef ;-)
    Reply
  11. Greta says

    January 15, 2010 at 4:08 pm

    What sort of horseradish does this recipe call for? It looks tasty, but I'm unsure if you mean to use grated fresh horseradish or dried horseradish powder (or some other form).
    Reply
  12. Arizona Solar Energy says

    April 30, 2010 at 10:51 am

    My husband's favorite! His mother makes meatloaf (although I like my recipe better) but he can't get enough of the stuff. I also really like that the stuff reheats so well! I can make it a day before when I have the time for a short notice supper. YUM! -Sylvia
    Reply
  13. Jean says

    October 16, 2010 at 10:52 am

    This is my new go-to meatloaf recipe. I am in love with horseradish - thanks for sharing!
    Reply
  14. trini dugan says

    March 30, 2011 at 10:42 pm

    this fuckin' meatloaf rocked!
    Reply
  15. V Midwest says

    December 10, 2012 at 7:54 am

    Thank you for this recipe! My husband and I have both made it and it is delicious. I too hated the lump of meat with onions. This recipe has such good flavor!. I make two and freeze one before cooking. Then we have an easy dinner on a cold night-throw it in the oven as it heats up and cook it a little longer than non frozen to cook.
    Reply
  16. Jim says

    September 6, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    Just made this tonite. AWESOME! Best meat loaf I ever had. But, a question. Should you pack the meat tight when you form the loaf! Mine was hard to keep together for slicing. I waited ten minutes before attempting.
    Reply
  17. Nicole says

    September 8, 2014 at 8:22 am

    Hi Jim- Thanks for the feedback! I do pack the meat fairly tight when I make a meatloaf. You might also try waiting an extra five to ten minutes before slicing (difficult, I know!).
    Reply
  18. Rita says

    February 7, 2016 at 7:26 pm

    Wowsie wowsie this meatloaf recipe sounds fantastic! When you said your mouth was watering just thinking about that meatloaf sandwich that made two of us. Although I have never gotten to the meatloaf sandwich stage as I keep sneaking bits of meatloaf out of the frige and before you know it, it's all gone. And I just want you to know, hee hee, I put big chunks of onion in mine. This time I will be having that sandwich the next day. I have everything to make it too, first time ever that has happened. Gonna make it tomorrow (eight o'clock pm here) dishes going in the dishwasher..nope not another mess to clean up as I use every pot, pan and dish every time I cook. But I will be dreaming of your meatloaf tonight.
    Reply
  19. Cathy Springer says

    July 21, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    I made this meatloaf last night. I only had one pound of ground beef so cut the recipe in half. There is only me and my husband so the half recipe was perfect for us. This is a delicious meatloaf. I didn't change a thing and will definitely make it again.
    Reply
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