Functional Home Cooking

Mom’s Meatloaf Gets a Gluten-Free Makeover

Mom's meatloaf before and after

Mom’s Meatloaf—a dish that evokes nostalgia and warmth, transcending generations and bringing families together around the dinner table. 

It may not be the most glamorous of dishes or have a celebrity chef endorsing its virtues, but the humble meatloaf holds a special place in American food culture, and specifically, a special place in my own heart. 

In this article, I embark on a journey to uncover the fascinating history of the meatloaf recipe, exploring why it has become the unsung hero of comfort food in the United States.

I then give my own Mom’s Meatloaf recipe a light makeover, accounting for the various ways ingredients can be swapped in/out, of course, with the underlying desire of making it functional for me.   

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A Brief History of Meatloaf

Meatloaf, with its simple yet hearty composition of ground meat mixed with various ingredients, has a rich heritage that traces back centuries. 

Its origins can be found in medieval Europe, where it was crafted as a way to utilize every bit of meat and stretch meager ingredients.  Over time, meatloaf evolved, adapting to the ingredients and culinary customs of different regions.

While the first account of a meatloaf recipe in the United States wasn’t until the late 1870s, meatloaf seemed to gain its popularity during the Great Depression.  With limited resources and a need to feed families on a tight budget, the versatility and affordability of meatloaf made it a staple on American dinner tables.

What makes meatloaf truly remarkable is its adaptability.  As an alluring blank canvas, it welcomes countless variations and regional twists.  From the addition of breadcrumbs, onions, and spices to the creative use of different meats, vegetables, and sauces, meatloaf recipes have been passed down through generations – a recipe that truly stands the test of time.

Breaking Down Mom’s Meatloaf

There’s a lot that goes into a meatloaf recipe.  Let’s learn about some common meatloaf ingredients and why they’re included:

Common IngredientsPurpose
Meat (ground beef, ground pork, sausage)Meat is the main ingredient and star of the show.  It can be a single source of meat or a combination of meats for an enhanced flavor bomb.
Breadcrumbs, Oats, CornmealUsed to help retain moisture in the meatloaf and offer texture.
ButtermilkUsed to pre-soak breadcrumbs, oats, or cornmeal prior to adding them to the meatloaf mixture.  The acidic nature of it helps to break down the proteins in the breadcrumbs, oats, or cornmeal making them moist and soft.  This increases the tenderness of the meatloaf.
It may also add a tanginess to the dish – a depth of flavor preferred by many.
Vegetables (onion, bell pepper, carrots, etc.)Adds flavor, moisture, and texture to the meatloaf.
EggNot only acts as a binder, keeping the ingredients in the meatloaf mixture held together, but also offers more moisture.
“Meatloaf sauce” (ketchup, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, etc.)Ketchup is often added right into the meatloaf mixture (flavor, moisture) prior to cooking, but typical American meatloaves also have a sauce poured over the top of the meatloaf mixture to create a caramelized crust on the exterior during the latter stages of cooking.   
Seasoning (salt, pepper)Adds flavor.

Substitute Ingredients for Mom’s Meatloaf

There are so many variations of the meatloaf recipe, it’s nearly impossible to capture all potential ingredient substitutions that follow.  We’ll cover some of the highlights:

Meat

Any sort of ground meat and combination thereof will do. Leaning towards more fattier cuts is best (example: 80/20% ground beef), but it’s also possible to use leaner cuts like ground turkey.  If you use leaner cuts of meat, I’d recommend increasing moisture elsewhere, whether that’s pre-soaking your breadcrumbs (or alternative ingredients), adding more sauce, or an extra egg.

Substitute in any ground meat 1:1.  If the recipe calls for 1 lb. of meat, ensure your ground meat concoction of choice equates to 1 lb. of meat.

Breadcrumbs, Oats, Cornmeal

If you can’t do gluten, this is where you want to focus your attention.  It is very possible to find certified gluten-free oats and cornmeal, but also note that they too can be problematic for someone with a gluten intolerance.  Some with celiac disease can handle them, whereas others cannot.  Your best bet is to check in with your guest ahead of time.  

Sensitivities aside, I personally think that the hint of sweetness added to meatloaf by cornmeal is unmatched, so do that if you can.  Pre-soaking your cornmeal is vital otherwise you can be left with gritty meatloaf.  Better yet, use leftover cornbread crumbs.

Almond flour is a great gluten-free alternative and adds a very light, nutty dimension to the dish.  It’s easy to keep on hand and can be substituted 1:1 in your recipe.  My recommendation is to add ½ portion of the almond flour to the meatloaf mix, check consistency, and add more as needed.  

Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour and Costco’s Kirkland Brand Almond Flour are my favorite.       

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a fermented dairy product that is thicker than milk and slightly more tangy in taste.  

If you’re short on buttermilk and want to mimic it, add 1 tablespoon of acid (white vinegar or lemon juice) to regular milk.  Mix and let it sit for at least 10 minutes to curdle.  Whole milk is preferred.

If you’re not a fan of buttermilk, it’s totally okay to substitute that for a heavy cream or standard whole milk.

Using a dairy alternative may also be possible, but they can be much thinner than standard milk and/or impart odd flavors to your dish.  Oat milk might be the best non-dairy alternative, but I might just omit this step (soaking breadcrumbs/alternatives) altogether if you need to go this route.  

To confirm, I have found success in omitting this step entirely – i.e. not soaking breadcrumbs, oats, cornmeal, or almond flour in anything and simply adding them to the meatloaf mixture dry.  This yields less moisture, obviously, but still makes for great meatloaf.    

Vegetables

You can’t go wrong here!  

The only thing I would be mindful of is quantity: 2-3 vegetable choices max and substitute 1:1 by total vegetable volume/weight noted in the recipe ingredients list.

Use any combination of onions, bell peppers, carrots, asparagus, zucchini, garlic, sweet corn, celery, spinach, butternut squash, etc.

Crunchy vegetables work best.  I’ve found the best results cooking them ahead of adding them to the meatloaf mixture.

Softer vegetables like tomatoes,     

Eggs

Noting that eggs serve as a binder and offer additional moisture, we want to find an alternative that provide similar characteristics. 

A go-to favorite of many: cheese.  That’s right, not only does cheese provide decent binding properties, but also adds savory flavor and moisture to the loaf.  Add ¼ to ½ cup of your favorite cheese to your loaf mixture (you can’t go wrong with Parmesan or Cheddar) 

Those totally intolerant to eggs and dairy might like flaxseed (“Flax Egg”).  ¼ cup water to one Tablespoon of flaxseed meal is equivalent to one egg. Adjust for the number of eggs called for in your recipe.

You could also add nothing – no eggs or egg substitutes.  Some argue that omitting this step will go unnoticed, but I’ve found their recipes usually call for a little added moisture elsewhere whether that’s extra breadcrumbs, non-dairy liquid, or sauce which is a must.  Sneaky, sneaky!     

Meat Sauce

Whether it’s basted on top of the loaf or included in the mixture itself, there are opportunities to express creativity here. 

Ketchup is the obvious classic, but feel free to explore the use of different barbeque sauce styles or scratch that Asian cuisine itch with a little teriyaki.

Sauces can be homemade or store-bought.  Substitute 1:1. 

Seasoning

This is also another area where personal preference comes into play and the options are endless.  Keep or omit any seasonings.  Add more or reduce volume added as you see fit. 

Remixing Mom’s Meatloaf Recipe

It absolutely crushes me that I can’t enjoy my Mom’s Meatloaf recipe the way it was meant to be had, BUT I’m quite pleased with how this recipe remix turned out. Here’s how I modified the Ingredients and Instructions:

INGREDIENTS

Original RecipeMy Ingredient Substitutions
½ lb. – ground beef
½ lb. – ground pork
1 cup – breadcrumbs½ cup – almond flour
4 oz. – buttermilk<ingredient omitted>
1 Tbsp – olive oil
½ cup – onion, diced
½ cup – carrots, diced½ cup – bell pepper
½ cup – chicken stock<ingredient omitted>
2 Tbsp – tomato paste
1 large – egg
1 Tbsp – salt/pepper/garlic, seasoning rub1 Tbsp – salt/pepper
½ cup – ketchup, basting sauce½ cup – gluten-free barbeque sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Pre-work
    • Pre-heat oven to 400°F
    • Pull out baking sheet with wire rack
    • Finely diced onion and carrots bell pepper, saute in olive oil until lightly browned then add chicken stock.  Turn heat to high and cook until the chicken stock has reduced down; let cool completely
    • Make panade with breadcrumbs and buttermilk (i.e. combine the two together); set aside
  • Combine ingredients (mix after each step)
    • Add tomato paste and lightly whisked egg
    • Incorporate meat and knead until egg mixture thoroughly coats meat
    • Fold in sauteed carrots bell pepper and onion
    • Add breadcrumb / buttermilk panade almond flour
    • Knead all ingredients together; loaf should hold its shape but if not add more breadcrumbs almond flour one Tbsp at a time.
    • Form the loaf on the wire rack
    • Gently coat with seasoning rub
  • Cook
    • Put the loaf in the oven until it reaches 155°F (~40 min.)
      • At 30 min. pull the meatloaf out of the oven and quickly baste with ketchup barbeque sauce
      • Pull meatloaf from the oven when the internal temp reaches 155°F
    • Baste with ketchup barbeque sauce again
      • Allow to cool for 10 min. and then serve.

🔑: Steps/ingredients modified. Steps/ingredients updated. 

📺 Watch Me Remix Mom’s Meatloaf Recipe!

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