Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Gluten Free meatloaf....

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I'm in the best mood I have been in for weeks. Seems like spring has sprung and there is a lightness in the air.

Sunday is family day here, and everyone was coming for dinner. I had no idea what I was going to make for the main course.. Gluten free cupcakes and brownies were a given, as my family has really adjusted to these treats and actually look forward to them now,  but the main course was my dilemma. I needed something that would stretch, not cost a arm and a leg, that was  going to be delicious enough for family, and still gluten free for myself.

As I was checking one of my customers through my register while  at work, she mentioned she was making meatloaf for dinner that night, and the light bulb went off in my head! I haven't made meatloaf in quite some time and the sound of it actually made my mouth water.

Now how was I going to make it safe for myself and delicious enough for my family to enjoy? I remembered a few years back...yes, I can actually remember that far back....I'm not totally comatose yet, and I recalled seeing several recipes on the web that used oats in the recipe instead of bread crumbs, so my search began.

The following recipe is one I found and used, with a little tweaking on my part. My family really enjoyed the dish and would have never have known there were oats in it if I hadn't shared the recipe when asked. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did. The recipe makes two 1 1/2 pound meatloaves. If you are serving less then by all means cut the recipe in half. Better yet make the full recipe and pop the second meatloaf in the freezer to bake in the future...

Gluten Free meatloaf:     

3 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup diced green pepper
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups uncooked gluten free quick oats ( I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup ketchup
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix all ingredients by hand until the green pepper, celery and onion are evenly distributed. Shape into 2 separate 1 1/2 pound meat loaves and place evenly spaced apart in a lightly sprayed 13x9 inch baker.
Bake in a 350 degree oven, covered with foil for approximately 60 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more until lightly browned. This was great served with mashed potatoes and green beans as side dishes.

Enjoy!



 

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