Making Meatloaf on Today
Last week, on my regular appearance on The Today Show, I demonstrated one of my favorite comfort foods - meatloaf. Essentially, meatloaf is a giant meatball and it seems that most cultures have their own version. The recipe I shared is very similar to the one my mother cooked for our family and whenever she did, there were rarely any leftovers. For a copy of this classic comfort food recipe, please click here.
1 Here I am on the set of The Today Show, about to demonstrate a really delicious and easy meatloaf recipe that is similar to the one my mom made for our family.
2 Before the segment, I had a discussion with Mike Murray, from the Today Show web team.
3 Judy Morris, my producer, talking with Today Show producer, Minah Kathuria
4 Mom liked to add a lot of fresh vegetables, which is a healthy and practical way of extending the amount of meat in this recipe.
5 The recipe calls for making fresh bread crumbs using 4 slices of white bread.
6 Along with an egg, fresh breadcrumbs help to bind the meatloaf together and gives it a really nice texture.
7 In the mixing bowl of a food processor, simply pulse the bread until fine breadcrumbs form.
8 On set with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie - Matt introduced the segment by saying, "On Martha on Today, we've got a comfort food classic."
9 I explained that in my family, we were 8 at the dinner table and with 3 hungry boys and dad, mom was very clever with stretching the food budget.
10 This recipe contains a lot of delicious, commonly found vegetables.
11 Place a medium onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 stalks of celery celery, 2 carrots, and 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add that to the meat mixture.
12 For the meat part of this recipe, use 1 3/4 pounds ground beef and 3/4 pound ground pork, which adds a lot of juiciness.
13 At this point, add 1 egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, salt and pepper. Savannah helped by combining all of the ingredients together. This is best done using your hands.
14 Pack the mixture into a regular size loaf pan.
15 I showed Matt the glaze by combining 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
16 The glaze is brushed over the top of the meatloaf. This is the gilding of the lily, giving a really great crust and a delicious flavor.
17 The meatloaf is baked in a 400º oven for about 1 1/2 hours, until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160º.
18 Serve the meatloaf hot out of the oven with a side of buttermilk mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.
19 Matt loved it and started dreaming of lunch the next day - a meatloaf sandwich on rye bread! Yum!!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
For some reason, I don't like meat loaf, or it doesn't like me. Same with meatballs, although I like hamburger and such. There is something in meatloaf that I don't like. Maybe it's the ketsup.
But, you looked as if you were enjoying yourself.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | March 13th, 2013 at 12:24 am
Hi Martha,
I made my own meatloaf over the weekend after seeing you make one on the Today Show but I have made your recipe before also. I just didn’t have celery or carrots in the fridge this time. I always use an onion but not usually garlic or mustard although the mustard does give it a nice zing. Cold sandwiches are always the best with lots of ketchup. I also cooked my meatloaf in my electric skillet on the rack with water instead of in the oven. It’s quite moist that way and it’s a recipe I got from a T-fal sales person years ago when I bought a glass dome to use with the pans. It cooks in about half an hour in the skillet or on top of the stove and if I don’t make the loaf too big, it surprisingly stays together. Thanks for your recipe and next time I’ll make sure to have celery, carrots and parsley on hand. Trish
Posted by: Trish | March 13th, 2013 at 1:07 am
Dang... I missed this. Can't wait till you get back to regular TV!
Posted by: Holiday Baker Man | March 13th, 2013 at 1:10 am
Martha,
Yummy! That meatloaf looks so good! Big Martha how I loved her! I'm still on my meatless kick, only a couple more weeks to go. I will add meatloaf to the long list of meat things I'm going to have once lent is over. Cheers have a great day and thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | March 13th, 2013 at 3:05 am
Thanks for blogging about comfort. NBC is not often my comfort network; however, this segment and you being interviewed by Matt Lauer THAT DAY are memorable. LIVING is not always portrayed by media, just happens when we are on the way. Didn't John Lennon write something about that?
Posted by: ann | March 13th, 2013 at 5:18 am
Looks delicious, Martha! Not being a pork eater, I"m wondering if it will work also without the pork. I will give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Angela | March 13th, 2013 at 5:43 am
Martha, your mom was a smart woman, ahead of her time. Adding a ton of veggies to meatloaf to not only extend the meat but to sneak in extra vegetables is a win-win for all!
We can all appreciate a good meatloaf recipe, the perfect comfort food, thanks Martha!
By the way, you looked very pretty on your Today Show segment last week.
Posted by: Cindy F | March 13th, 2013 at 7:20 am
Veggies in your meatloaf...sounds like how my mom made it. It stretched the food plus gave us extra vitamins. Also taught the kids to "eat your vegtables".
Posted by: Paula Bennighof | March 13th, 2013 at 8:26 am
Dear Martha,
I loved and miss Big Martha. I made her recipe for meatloaf but I made a big mess when the meatloaf slid off the back side of the oven rack onto the oven floor...I ate it anyway...it tasted much better than it looked! It's hard not to get sentimental...I miss you, too!
Posted by: Tina Y. | March 13th, 2013 at 8:43 am
No one ever liked my version of meatloaf -- until your mom's recipe came along we didn't have it anymore. But now it's a favorite in my house. I even use a lot of the same ingredients to make juicy burgers. My hubby says he hates ketchup in meatloaf, but haha, he does and doesn't know it!
Posted by: Roberta | March 13th, 2013 at 9:02 am
Oh I will have to try this recipe tonight..
Yum... I love meat-loaf.... I have a version I make with ground pork & beef, frozen chopped spinach, cracker crumbs, egg, onion, garlic, fresh basil and worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard. I put them in a thin coating of tomato sauce & romano cheese..... I brought them to a pot luck.... none left over.
The spinach takes on a woody flavour and except for the green.. it tastes really yummy.
Posted by: Rachel | March 13th, 2013 at 9:23 am
Hi Martha,
There are so many great meatloaf recipes. My Mom used barbeque sauce and soda crackers. When I was first married I made my meatloaf with Wheaties, 1 egg, tomato juice and chopped onion. I top off with ketchup and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hrs at 350. The Wheaties (which were an emergency substitution that day) were a hit with my new husband and so I've made it that way ever since.
Posted by: Sharon | March 13th, 2013 at 9:23 am
Hi Martha, How wonderful to see you on the Today Show last Wednesday showing us how to make your Mother's favorite meatloaf! I recall seeing her on many of your earlier TV Shows and thoroughly enjoyed the presence of the two of you showing us many great recipes!! I sure do miss seeing you on your daily TV Shows and your Cooking School Shows won't start here until April so seeing you on any Today Show is fabulous! Love seeing all of your fantastic tweets and hope you are having fun in Las Vegas with the Home Depot managers! I absolutely love all of these great photos you shared with us today about making that delicious meatloaf and Matt and the others loved having you there again! They sure do have a nice kitchen area! Those vegetables look so yummy and you looked so terrific getting all of the menu ready for the show! Photo #17 makes me very hungry! Can't wait to see you on the Today show hopefully next week! Hope you have another great day! Off to see The Daily Wag about "Showers for Horses"! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | March 13th, 2013 at 9:35 am
Hi Martha..... : )
Posted by: Amir Ali | March 13th, 2013 at 11:42 am
Oh, Martha, you look glum in many of the photos, not your usual smiling self. I agree with Holiday Baker Man -- it will be great to have you back on television! I miss my regular dose of inspiration. All good wishes.
Posted by: Melanie | March 13th, 2013 at 11:44 am
Meatloaf, reminds me of childhood... Priceless!
Thanks Martha.
Posted by: Denise | March 13th, 2013 at 11:46 am
Martha, can this be done without using pork?
Posted by: Nancy Jane | March 13th, 2013 at 11:49 am
Yum! I've tried different recipes but not this one. Looked great. I'll make it this weekend.
Posted by: Becky in Kzoo | March 13th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Hi Martha,
I wish I could watch you on the Today Show. I'm always at work at that time so I appreciate that you shared this most recent episode on Meatloaf on your blog. Thank you! Another great comfort food is macaroni and cheese and i use your four cheese one all the time!
Happy Wednesday
xo
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa Gordon-Miller | March 13th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
I have never tried one of your recipes that we did not fall in love with. We often make Big Martha's Meatloaf from years ago. Just wondered if this is a differant one?
Posted by: Joyce Hicks | March 13th, 2013 at 1:51 pm
I believe I have made this very meatloaf before. I'm certain I have. I have nearly every book you have ever written. It looks delicious. It is supposed to be cold and rainy here this weekend. Hmmm. I think a good weekend for meatloaf.
Posted by: John Newman | March 13th, 2013 at 4:25 pm
Hi Martha, I agree that you should be back on your own show. A segment isn't enough. If the powers that be are reading this blog, Bring Martha Back!. I am going to try this recipe, only I can't do ground beef. Will ground turkey work with ground pork or is that wrong on so many levels? I'm going to try it. Wish me luck.
Posted by: ceecee | March 13th, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Greetings from London. Watched the segmant online and love love it. Delicious recipe yummy. You look lovely, always a pleasure to see you on TV
Best wishes
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | March 13th, 2013 at 9:27 pm
Meatloaf has made a big revival at my home! It must be the comfort food logic. Or the delicious beef/veal/pork combination i purchase. We love turkey meatloaf as well. There is nothing better than a yummy meatloaf sandwich the following day.
Posted by: Sherey | March 13th, 2013 at 10:50 pm
Hi Martha,
I grew up on the last self sustaining Bohemiam farm in our area in Wisconsin.
We had big gardens,bees, dairy and beef cattle, pigs, ducks, geese, and my Pa was the first to have every new kind of chicken you could think off, he was ahead of his time, so I love seeing all your chickens and pens. We also raised peacocks, we set our own eggs and had three incubators in the basement,
I have 10 siblings and my Pa made sure we each had a shetland or welch pony too, your donkeys are about the same size.
I follow your blog just about every day and enjoy all the things your involved in, from your greenhouse and garden...to the composting, chickens and bees!
Reminds me of my childhood.
Thanks for the memories
Maureen
Posted by: Maureen | March 14th, 2013 at 7:42 pm
I love this recipe for meatloaf. its my go to recipe for a mid week dinner I love it because of the veggies. I cut down on the garlic a little. The glaze is absolutly the gild on the lily. Thank you Martha for the most yummy meatloaf. And thank you Big Martha for all you did for your family.
Posted by: Rona Brunner | March 16th, 2013 at 10:05 am
I learned to put the onion in my mother's version but carrots, potatoes and sometimes more onions were baked next to the meatloaf in a larger pan. We made 3 holes with our finger in the top of the loaf and filled it with ketchup. Will have to try adding celery in or out of the loaf. Yes, your mother was very creative!
Posted by: Kandy Maharas | March 17th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Have A very happy St. Patricks Day. Miss you on TV as usual.
Good luck in all you do. Watch you on PBS ,but have different Times.
I also read in Living ,that you are having a Martha Bake on PBS, wonderful. Hope all is wll with your Daughter and Grandchildren
Thank you again
Pat
Posted by: pat | March 17th, 2013 at 7:40 pm
Hi Martha,I have been a fan of yours for many years and love this recipe and visit the US frequently usually bringing back as many of your products or yours as I can get into my luggage! What I would like to know is why we can not get your show on Sky Living here in the UK?
Kind regards
Rachel
Posted by: Rachel Irvine | March 18th, 2013 at 12:10 pm
Martha, your recipe looks delicious! Mine is very similar. I always laugh because my husband groans when I mention meatloaf and every time I make he loves it!
Posted by: Nancy | March 18th, 2013 at 8:03 pm
Martha,
How is it that you never age? You look so fabulous!!! I remember the show with your Mom that you added the ketchup to your Meatloaf. Ever since, I have done so, and MAGNIFIC!!!
My Mom's recipe calls for: Beef & Pork & Veal chopped meat, chopped onions, sallt, pepper, oregano, parsley, lots of bread crumbs, grated parmesian cheese, 3 eggs, water to moisten... In the meantime, you hard-boil 3 - 4 eggs and peal them and place in the center of meatloaf along with cheddar/mozzarella shredded cheese, then layer more meatloaf mixture on top. DELISH!!!!
Miss you so much on a daily show!!! Please come back... It would be lovely if it was filmed on your gorgeous farm. PLEASE!!!
Also, the PBS show is great to. I DVR it so I can't miss an episode. Be well, and hugs for all your animals at the farm.
Kim in N.J.
Posted by: KIm | April 6th, 2013 at 10:48 pm