I’m just going to go ahead and be REAL honest with ya’ll! My entire first 17 years of life, I thought meatloaf was made with a red gravy and served over rice! It wasn’t until Josh and I started dating, and his mama handed me a plate with a slice of “loaf” and a bottle of ketchup, did I realize that I had been eating this dish in a unique way for years. I don’t know how mama came up with this recipe, and I thought the recipe was lost after she passed; but after my oldest requested it and I broke down crying to my daddy that I didn’t know how to make it, did he tell me that my sister did! Over the last 3 years, my siblings and I have opened up a conversation about how to make mama’s “Mulligan Stew” (that’s a blog post for another day) and her “Meatloaf w/ red rice and gravy”
Now if you are looking for a healthy dish, this ain’t it. I made it “skinny-ish” by eating over cauli-rice but I did have a little taste of it with regular rice and it brought tears to my eyes because it tasted just as mama made it! Now when I called my sister for the recipe, I thought my mama didn’t use seasoning packets. That was my mistake, she totally did! So without further adieu, here is the recipe!
Disclaimer: Mama never made a little of anything. She was the typical Cajun woman who made enough to feed an army, and that’s exactly how I made it, too! I plan on freezing leftovers (if we have any, ha!)
For the meatloaf:
Preheat oven to 375
- about 4 lbs. of ground chuck. I had about 3.9 lbs. and it was the perfect amount
- 2 packets of McCormick Meatloaf seasoning.
- 4 eggs
- 1 Tbsp. Salt (to taste)
- 1 Tbsp. pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
- 1/4 to 1/2 can of Evaporated milk
I hate to mix raw meat with my fingers, so I added everything to my stand mixer and blended until combined. Just be careful not to over mix. Next, you are going to want to set out some wax paper and lightly flour it. Turn the meat out on the flour and shape, lightly flour the rest of the loaf and then transfer to your pot. I am using my grandmothers large 15″ Magnalite roaster.
Ok, now this is where I lost my photographer so I don’t have photos of the next steps. I’ll update this post the next time that I make it! Promise! But for now, just trust me!
- 2 29oz cans of tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 8oz beef broth
- 2 cups of water
Add 1 can of tomato sauce to the pot and coat the top of the meatloaf with a little bit of the sauce; then place the pot in the oven for about 30 minutes or until slightly brown. Once slightly brown, remove the meatloaf and add another can of tomato sauce and rinse both cans out with the beef broth and then add to the pot. Cook covered for about 3 hours or until you stick a thermometer in and it reads 170 or “well done.” Over the course of the cooking time, you will want to move the meatloaf around to avoid sticking and add water to the sauce, maintaining a thin gravy-like consistency.
**cooking tip: If your food is sticking to the bottom of your pot; take off heat and cover tightly with the lid. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes and the stuck food should “release”
Serve over rice and ENJOY! Let me know if you make this and what you thought about it! This dish is a piece of my childhood, wrapped up in a big red bow!
-Mitzi
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