Old Fashioned Gluten free & Dairy free Meatloaf (no egg or milk)

I'm a meat girl and always have been. But even so, meatloaf can be a little hard to get excited about. 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 a 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 (no egg or milk) is definitely the one! It's a healthy beef meatloaf that's also Weight Watchers friendly. This recipe is 7 WW points.

And while I'm a meat girl through and through, I'm not hardcore. 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 come 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 are 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, as 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.

As 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 delicious meatloaf 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 food allergies or aversions (such as an egg allergy), it's gluten-free and dairy-free, as 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 it.

🥘 Ingredients: Meatloaf without eggs or milk

Yes! You can make meatloaf without eggs or milk because the oats, along with the condiments, serve as the binding agent. The eggs aren't necessary so you don't have to worry about an egg replacement. For this recipe, you will need the following simple ingredients:

• black pepper (optional)
• parsley (optional)

*See recipe card for quantities

🔪Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F M(176 degrees C) and spray a 9X5X3 loaf pan with non-stick spray.

Add ground beef, ketchup, chilli sauce, relish, dry mustard, oatmeal, onion and mushrooms together in a large mixing bowl.

Mix well.

Press the meat mixture into a loaf pan with a spatula.

HINT: * You'll need to pack it down so the meatloaf will stick together!

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F/ 176 degrees C (uncovered).*There is NO need to cover it with aluminum foil

Garnish cooked meatloaf with additional ketchup and sprinkle on parsley.

👪 Servings

This meatloaf without eggs recipe makes 8 servings. You can double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. I usually make 2 and freeze 1 for a busy weeknight!

🔢WW Points

This flavorful meatloaf without milk is 7 WW points.

📖 Variations

• Onions: If you don't feel like chopping onion, you can substitute 1 tablespoon dried/dehydrated onion
• Mushrooms - you can use canned or fresh mushrooms for this recipe
• Dry mustard - if you don't have dry mustard, you could substitute 2 tsps dijon mustard
• Mini Meatloaves: (photo below) you could make this meatloaf into little meatloaf muffins. Simply pack the meatloaf tightly into muffin tins prepared with a generous amount of non-stick cooking spray, then cook for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before loosing with a butter knife and gently removing
• Parsley - you could substitute Italian seasoning

🍽Equipment

You'll need a mixing bowl and loaf pans for this healthy beef meatloaf! I like to use a loaf pans with a lid because I can cool it, cover it, and pop it into the freezer in the same container!

A meat thermometer also comes in handy. I love my  instant read thermometer (affiliate link). It's the very best way to check internal temperature for doneness and I use it only everything from meat to bread to pie!

🌡️Storage

You can store leftover meatloaf in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you are just storing it overnight, you can simply cover it with plastic wrap. It can also be frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

🥗 Side dishes

If you're not sure what to serve with this easy eggless meatloaf, mashed potatoes are always a great choice! Here are some additional gluten-free side dish ideas to go with meatloaf:

• Chipotle Mashed Potatoes (shown above) *you could use lactose or dairy-free milk
• Perogy Potato Salad
• Easy Quinoa Salad
• Corn Succotash
• Easy Bean Salad in 5 minutes
• Green beans and Mushrooms
• 5 Ingredient Shredded Zucchini & Feta Sauté

🦺Food Safety

• Cook ground beef to a minimum internal temperature of 160 °F (71°C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
• Never leave cooking food unattendedSee more guidelines at USDA.gov 

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 and has no eggs, then give this one a try. It's a recipe the whole family will love and you won't be disappointed!

⭐ Reviews

Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:

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 (no egg and milk)

This classic meatloaf recipe is made without eggs, milk or bread crumbs. It is dairy-free, gluten-free,  easy and can be made ahead and frozen for a quick weeknight meal. It's a healthy beef meatloaf that's also Weight Watchers friendly!

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American

Keyword: dairy-free, gluten-free, ground beef, meatloaf, no egg

Special Diet: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Weight Watchers

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

loaf pan with lid

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lbs extra lean ground beef
• ▢ ½ cup gluten-free ketchup
• ▢ ¼ cup gluten-free chili sauce *I use Heinz
• ▢ 2 tablespoon gluten-free relish
• ▢ ½ tablespoon 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 M(176 degrees C) and spray a 9X5X3 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
• Add ground beef, ketchup, chilli sauce, relish, dry mustard, oatmeal, onion and mushrooms together in a large mxing bowl.
  
• MIxe well.
  
• Press meat mixture 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/ 176 degrees C (uncovered).

  *There is NO need to cover it with aluminum foil
• Garnish cooked meatloaf with additional ketchup and sprinkle on parsley. Wait until its cooled about 10 minutes before slicing.
  

Notes

⭐ REVIEWS

Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

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!"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Nutrition Facts

📋 Old Fashioned Dairy free and Gluten-free Meatloaf Recipe (no egg and milk)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 219 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 70mg23%

Sodium 328mg14%

Potassium 587mg17%

Carbohydrates 13g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 26g52%

Vitamin A 75IU2%

Vitamin C 2.4mg3%

Calcium 18mg2%

Iron 3.2mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal (11%) | Carbohydrates: 13g (4%) | Protein: 26g (52%) | Fat: 6g (9%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) | Cholesterol: 70mg (23%) | Sodium: 328mg (14%) | Potassium: 587mg (17%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 8g (9%) | Vitamin A: 75IU (2%) | Vitamin C: 2.4mg (3%) | Calcium: 18mg (2%) | Iron: 3.2mg (18%)

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