I'm a meat girl and always have been. But even so, meatloaf can be a little hard to get excited about. And although meatloaf is a fantastic easy and quick weeknight dinner, it's often taken for granted. I think meatloaf is akin to Bran muffins in the sense that good one is hard to find. But when you do find the one, it can be life altering (well, as far as dinner goes, anyway). And trust me, this Old fashioned Dairy AND gluten-free meatloaf is definitely the one! It's also Weight Watchers friendly at 6 WW points on the blue plan.
And while I'm a meat girl through and through, I'm not hard core. I regularly enjoy vegetarian and vegan meals. Although I have to confess - I have never ever considered switching to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. I like my meat and wouldn't want to give it up. But sometimes I feel a little guilty about that, especially when I'm forced to think about it. I remember the day that my son realized meat actually came from an animal. He was about 6 years old.
I was driving and he was in the back seat of the van, we were chatting and somehow it came up in the conversation. And in his typical, adorable, processing of new information, little boy voice, he said,
"What?! Wait a minute...Are you saying that the chicken we eat is actually from a chicken?! Like the animal?"
Then he started to make further connections: "So where does beef come from?" he said. "Cow," I replied . "And pork chops comes from pigs, as does bacon. "
His little face crumpled. He's a sensitive, sweet soul and this obviously really hit him hard. He immediately started to go down the 'how does it die? And does someone kill it?' path. I could hear the horror in his voice and at the time, I was not prepared to go anywhere near there. It was bad enough being the bearer of the initial bad news. And he was so visibly upset that in trying to soften the blow of this new discovery, I blurted out, "but don't worry -the animals are really sick and old."
Yep. Apparently we like to eat sick, old meat at our house....
Hey, at the time, it seemed like a good answer, as it always appeared to comfort my kids when an older person passed away. You would say they had a good, long life and they were very old and sick and the kids would sigh, and say, "oh, okay then, " and be able to process it, deal with it and move on.
This explanation appeared to have garnered the same effect. You could trace the wave of relief as it washed over his little face. "Oh, okay then," he said, "If it's sick and old..."
I guess if I had to go hunting for my own meat then things would be different. I'm sure there's a lot of people that feel that way. But since I don't....
💭Where does meatloaf come from
There are many articles out there that talk about the history of meatloaf, so I'm not going to get into that. But if you want to learn more, check out Wikipedia. MY Old fashioned meatloaf comes from my Mom, of course , like most meatloaf does. Well, the base recipe anyway. I've made some changes, including making it a dairy-free and gluten-free meatloaf. It's also an old recipe that she got the recipe out of the Five Roses Cookbook, which was originally published in 1913. It was my very first cookbook and I still use it all the time, as it houses many of my 'go to' recipes. You can see it's been well loved.
🌡️Make-Ahead and Freeze
Like I said, although meatloaf is a great make-ahead freezer weeknight dinner, it is easy to take for granted. However, I stopped taking this recipe for granted when I tried some other, not-so-good meatloaves. Like bad bran muffins, there are a lot of bad meatloaves out there. But this one is moist and flavorful with just the right balance of tomato. This traditional meatloaf is also the one I grew up on, yet it's still one of my favorite comfort foods. And for those with allergies or aversions, it's gluten-free and dairy free so it contains no milk or bread. You can throw it together in 10 minutes and either freeze it to cook at a later date (right in the loaf pan) or cook ahead and then freeze.
🥘 Ingredients: Meatloaf without eggs and milk
Yes! You can make meatloaf without eggs or milk because the oats, along with the condiments, serve as the binder (the eggs aren't necessary). For this recipe, you will need:
- extra lean ground beef
- gluten free ketchup
- gluten-free chili sauce
- gluten free relish
- dry ground mushroom
- gluten free quick oats
- canned mushrooms
- onion
📖 Variations
If you don't feel like chopping onion, you can substitute 1 tbsp dried/dehydrated onion
🥗 Side dishes
If you're not sure what to serve with this meatloaf, mashed potatoes are always a great choice! Here are some additional gluten-free side dish ideas to go with meatloaf:
5 Ingredient Shredded Zucchini & Feta Sauté
Meatloaf comes from Mom. Let's just leave it at that.
My son is now 12 and although I'm sure he's figured out the rest of the meat story by now, for a year or so after that conversation, he'd often seek meat reassurance at the dinner table with statements like, "Oh, we're having cow for dinner? But it was really sick and old, right?"
Right.....
This could become a little awkward, especially when we had guests. At that point I'd be wishing I had not taken that particular fork in the meat conversation path. But as a parent, it's natural to try to protect our children from the cold, hard, cruel realities of the world. As adults, we can just choose not the think about them.
In the end, I'm just grateful that I don't have to hunt for my own meatloaf.
So, if you're looking for a really great gluten free meatloaf that's also dairy-free, then give this one a try - you won't be disappointed
⭐ REVIEWS
Here's what others are saying:
"I've been searching for a gluten-free meatloaf for my daughter. This is just delicious. The chili sauce adds a great flavor to the meat. A winner!"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📋 Old Fashioned Dairy free and Gluten-free Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs extra Lean ground beef
- ½ cup gluten-free ketchup
- ¼ cup gluten-free chili sauce *I use Heinz
- 2 tbsp gluten-free relish
- ½ tbsp dry ground mustard
- ¾ cup gluten free quick oats
- 10 ounce can of mushrooms drained
- 1 small onion finely chopped
Garnish:
- sprinkle dried parsley
- additional ketchup (about 3 tbsps )
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9X5X3 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
- Mix ground beef, ketchup, chilli sauce, relish, dry mustard, oatmeal, onion and mushrooms together in a large bowl.
- Press into a loaf pan with a spatula. * You'll need to pack it down so the meatloaf will stick together!
- Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.
- Garnish with additional ketchup and sprinkle on parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
🍲More gluten-free weeknight dinners!
Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole
Potato, Spinach and Beef Casserole
Edith
Love this meatloaf although I don't use canned mushrooms anymore, prefer fresh onest. Love Mom.
Terri Gilson
I agree- fresh are best, Mom!Thanks for the recipe! ❤️
Natalie Browne
Meatloaf is a classic. I don’t make it as often as my mom did, but I can also never make it quite as good as she did either. It’s one of those recipes that always brings up warm feelings of family though. I like that yiu made a dairy free version for a different twist in a classic. It looks delicious!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Natalie! Yes, Moms always make the best meatloaf! 🙂
Lillian Tse
I haven't made meatloaf in forever! I like how this one gives a dairy free and a gluten free option since I do have a few friends that can't have dairy or gluten!
Def a dish I could make ahead of time for a potluck !
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Lillian - yes, it always helps to have allergy-friendly recipes in our back pocket. I hope you and your friends like it!
Sue Giaquinto
I've made this recipe and it was great. I thought I made it in my instant pot. Is there a conversion?
Terri Gilson
Hi Sue- I’m not sure as I don’t even own an instant pot?
Albert Bevia
It has been too long since I have had meatloaf, this post has inspired me to make it, and your version looks and sounds so good! Will be giving it a go!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Albert! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Justine | JustineCelina.com
This sounds like my kind of meatloaf! I've never been a huge meat eater (or a meat loaf fan!) but I can definitely get excited about this version. Sounds delish!
Terri Gilson
Thanks Justine!
Sarah
I’m excited to try this but am confused about the potato part in the instructions. ???
Terri Gilson
Hi Sarah: Thanks so much for pointing that out! About a month ago, my recipes were migrated to the new version of my recipe plug-in and nothing was supposed to change, but I've found a few odd glitches. This being one of them! That instruction is from a completely different recipe (caesar twice baked potatoes)! So odd that is ended up there and no wonder it confused you! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. I hope the recipe makes sense now and that you enjoy it!
Chris
Is it ¾ cup cooked oats or raw oats? Will steel cut oats work? Thank you!
Terri Gilson
Hi Chris- the oats are raw, not cooked. Steel cut take much longer to cook and have a different texture so they don’t necessarily sub well for each other. Although some meatloaf recipes call for them I never use them for meatloaf. But if you do end up trying I’d love to hear how it worked. This is a long cook time meatloaf so it may turn out ok. Enjoy!https://amp.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-steel-cut-rolled-and-instant-oats-138355
Chris
Wow, thanks for such a quick and helpful response! I appreciate it 🙂
Terri Gilson
No problem!
Tanya
Hi, maybe this is a weird question, but what exactly is chilli sauce lol and what brand do you buy?
Being from Vancouver The only chilli sauce I can think of is spicy Thai chilli sauce or other Asian style chilli sauces for some reason lol and I’m not sure that is what you intended.
Thanks!
Terri Gilson
Hi Tanya- not weird at all! It's a bit confusing because you're right- so many things are called chilli sauce. But the one I'm referring to is a Heinz product - like a ketchup but a little spicier! Here's the link to it! https://www.google.com/search?q=heinz%20chili%20sauce%20gluten%20free
You can buy it at most grocery stores. Enjoy!
Colleen
I’d love to try this but confused about the little potatoes in the middle of the meatloaf? A previous comment you replied to said it was from a different recipe but it still shows up so not sure what the correct recipe is. Could you please fix this or email me the correct recipe? Thanks!
Terri Gilson
Hi Colleen,
Thanks for drawing my attention to this! I don't know why this keeps happening! And this time it's a different recipe. There was some kind of glitch on the website and 2 recipes (one that was a draft) were melded together). It's now fixed! I sent you an email.
Terri
Santini
This looks so tasty! I can't wait to try this out! I'm sure my family's going to love this! I'm going to make it spicy though because we love spicy. Thank you so much for sharing!
Terri Gilson
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Sue Ringsdorf
I'm going to pass this recipe along to my sister, who is gluten-free! Looks like a perfect recipe to make ahead of time and freeze too. Thanks for this recipe, Terri!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Sue! We love this recipe - have been eating it for years!
Ariella
Love the texture from the oats in this.
Anne Lawton
Meatloaf is the epitome of comfort food. I love all of the ingredients and that it's gluten free.
Terri Gilson
I agree!
Carlos at Spoonabilities
I really enjoyed reading the story behind this meatloaf recipe. The cookbook is a treasure! I would love to have one from my family but they didn't use a cookbook. The recipes were transferred from person to person. I do have Geoffrey family recipes from Eastern Europe. BTW. The meatloaf looks super delicious and moist!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Carlos! Yes, I am missing so many family cookbooks too - one of many reasons I started this job!
Eileen Kelly
I've been searching for a gluten-free meatloaf for my daughter. This is just delicious. The chili sauce adds a great flavor to the meat. A winner.
Terri Gilson
Great - I hope you enjoy it, Eileen!
john kennedy
Perfect for my FIL who has some dietary issues, TY!
Terri Gilson
That's great! Hope he enjoys it....
Robin Ginn
Maybe a silly question, but I want to make this for my daughter as a freezer meal to have after her baby is born. Would you recommend baking then freezing or could I mix, put in loaf pan and freeze for her husband to bake? Their toddler is severely allergic to egg, most oils and anything dairy so this looks like a good food option!
Terri Gilson
Hi- No silly questions! I have only ever baked it first before freezing, so that’s what I would recommend. It reheats really nicely and tastes great. I thaw it then warm it in the microwave! Enjoy!