If you think of meatloaf as a slab, get ready to rethink it: these baby meatloaves with a tart tomato glaze and brown-butter mash make comfort food feel fresh and irresistible.
I am a sucker for a good meatball. Something happens when you mix otherwise one-dimensional ground meats with fresh breadcrumbs, herbs and seasonings and dress them with a great sauce — I will fight for the first bite. I always thought I lacked a similar fondness for meatloaf until, in a comment thread, someone gently suggested that a meatloaf is basically one giant meatball. That simple observation changed how I approached making meatloaf.
Having had that revelation, I set out to fix the things I normally dislike about meatloaf. First, the idea of a loaf of meat feels off: no matter how many fresh herbs you scatter on top or how much you prettify the photo, a flat slab of ground meat always feels like something you skim past to get to the flavorful interior. So I made my loaves more like meatballs — rounded, tender, and yes, if you squint, a little cute.
Next, I addressed the typical ketchup topping. Let me be clear: I love ketchup. I have zero foodie shame about it; I admire it the way some food writers praise it as our proud homegrown sauce. But ketchup feels a bit thin for meatloaf, so I cooked up my own tart-sweet, tomato-forward glaze using tomato paste, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and a few other ingredients, simmered briefly until smooth. It’s basically ketchup — thicker, tangier, and more suited to these small loaves.
Because vegetables inside meatloaf are both delicious and necessary, but I don’t like chunks of carrot or peas sticking out everywhere, I coarsely grind the vegetables before sautéing them and folding them into the meat mixture.
Finally, because life’s too short for mediocre mashed potatoes, I make mine with a generous amount of brown butter and finish them with buttermilk for tang — since discovering this I find it hard to make them any other way.
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Recipe | Tomato-Glazed Meatloaves with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes |
Author / Source | (Original post) |
Published | February 16, 2017 |
Servings | Not specified in source text |
Total time | Not specified in source text |
Difficulty | Not specified in source text |
Note: The original text does not provide explicit servings, times or detailed ingredient quantities. The summary above reflects only the information present in the source.
Component | Notes (quantities not provided in source) |
|---|---|
Ground meat | Type and amount unspecified — base for meatloaves |
Fresh breadcrumbs, herbs, seasonings | Used in meat mixture — quantities not provided |
Vegetables (carrot, peas, etc.) | Coarsely ground, sautéed before adding — quantities not provided |
Tomato glaze | Tomato paste, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and a few other unspecified ingredients; simmered briefly |
Potatoes | Boiled and riced for mash — quantity unspecified |
Brown butter | Generous amount; used in mashed potatoes |
Buttermilk | Added to mashed potatoes for tang; amount unspecified |
Salt, pepper and other seasonings | Implied but not listed specifically |
Tip | Source line (paraphrased) |
|---|---|
Shape meatloaf like smaller loaves (baby meatloaves) to make them tender and more like meatballs. | “I decided to make them more like meatballs — round, a bit more tender...” |
Replace thin ketchup topping with a thicker, tart tomato glaze (tomato paste + Dijon + cider vinegar) for better texture and flavor. | “I decided to make my own tart-sweet tomato-ish sauce... it’s ketchup — slightly more tart and thick.” |
Coarsely grind vegetables and sauté them before adding to the meat to avoid large chunks in the loaf. | “I coarsely grind my vegetables before sautéeing them and adding them to the meatloaf mixture.” |
Make mashed potatoes with brown butter and buttermilk for richness and tang. | “I make mine with a shameless amount of brown butter and then buttermilk for tang.” |
When sharing recipes or testing, trust your instincts — small changes (shape, sauce, veggie prep) can transform a classic. | Implied through the author’s iterative approach and commentary. |
