When I ask the Hubster crazy questions like, “If you were on death row and being served a last meal, what would it be?” He can’t ever quite narrow it down, but what I can tell you is that meatloaf always makes the short list. If I didn’t know better I would have thought that he was raised in the South because his love for Southern food is off the charts. Fried chicken, meatloaf, mac & cheese, fried crab claws, grits with smoked gouda, etc.
For years I was afraid to even make meatloaf for him because he raved about his surrogate Grandma Sadie’s meatloaf. The way he talked about it I knew better than to try to make my own. Let’s face it, I was only going to be disappointed when it wasn’t quite like hers {and how could it be?}. Well, that fear soon left once my little men came into the picture. I wanted them to have meatloaf and since I didn’t have Grandma Sadie’s recipe {which I knew contained eggs that my oldest can’t have} I decided to give it a try. And no different from any other recipe, it took me a couple tries before finding a winner!
Now I don’t know if it was because it had been quite some time since we had meatloaf or if it was because the last couple batches were really not good, but the Hubster really liked this recipe! We all did. But the true test lies in the Hubster’s taste buds and he kept going back for more!!
This recipe is amazing and free of the top 8 allergens. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, nut-free & wheat-free. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!
- 1.5 lbs. Ground Beef
- ½ c. Bread Crumbs (I use Gillian's Original Bread Crumbs - Free of allergens)
- ⅓ c. Ketchup
- 2 TBS Dried Parsley
- ½ c. Applesauce
- ½ tsp. Dried Thyme
- ½ tsp. Salt
- ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
- ½ Large Onion, Minced
- Grated Carrots
- ½ c. Ketchup
- 4 TBS Brown Sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. The grated carrots are optional, if you choose to add them either use a grater or chop them up and place in a food processor.
- Knead the mixture with your hands until everything is well blended.
- Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan {I use Spectrum Shortening}
- Fill the loaf pan with the meat mixture.
- Mix together the topping {ketchup + brown sugar}.
- Spoon the mixture over the top of the meatloaf. You'll have extra. Keep it for additional dipping sauce or drizzle over the top once you slice the meatloaf.
- Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake until the meat loaf is firm to the touch. About 60-80 minutes. A thermometer inserted in the center should read 160F.
- If needed, pour off the excess fat and let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
**Allergy Alert**
Be sure to read all of your labels. I have found many spices and other products (i.e. garlic powder) that include additional ingredients like soy.
Known Allergy Information (containing the major 8): None
**Disclaimer: Please note that every child’s sensitivity to their given allergen(s) varies. Some of the items that I use do contain “natural flavoring” and “spices” which is hard to determine if it is 100% allergy free. You should always check with the manufacturer to confirm that your child can have their product(s). The products that I list are items that I’ve been using for awhile and have proven to be safe for my boys (their allergies are dairy, soy, egg, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish and sesame).**
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