Homemade Meatloaf

Any dish made from scratch tastes so much better, in my opinion. And, when you can use fresh ingredients, that knocks it up another notch. Meatloaf is one of my favorite meals to cook from scratch. But, using a spice packet you can get at the grocery store adds unhealthy ingredients to your meal. The worst ingredient in the ready-to-use mixes is salt. These mixes have a very high sodium content. So, here is a way to make meatloaf without using a spice mix packet. It is delicious and has a few variations you can try.

First, start with about a pound of lean ground beef. Use more if you are feeding more than 3 or 4 people. Next you need to add some kind of bread product. I use saltine crackers. If you need to be on a low sodium diet, use the crackers that have no salt on them. I crush them until they are almost a powder. You can also use breadcrumbs. But, if you use breadcrumbs, you should make sure the pieces are very small.

For the herbs and spices, I start with a teaspoonful of garlic powder. Then I add a teaspoonful of black pepper. I also add about a ½ tablespoonful of dried onions. You can experiment with other herbs such as savory, oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, and parsley. Start with a small amount and then add more each time you make the meatloaf to see how much you and your family enjoy the taste. If you use fresh herbs, use a bit less than you would use of the dried. Fresh herbs have a stronger taste.

Next add one egg per pound of ground beef. This helps hold the meat loaf together. And, if you have other ingredients that have water in them, you can add about a tablespoon of powdered milk. If the other ingredients do not have much liquid, then add a half of a cup of regular milk.

Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. It is very important to be sure and get all the ingredients mixed together properly. Everything needs to be distributed evenly through the entire dish.