I already have 2 fantastic meatloaf recipes on this blog, which are go-to comfort recipes for me. However, I wouldn’t call either of them “traditional” meatloaf. I recently bought an instant pot electric pressure cooker, and I found myself wanting to try a meatloaf recipe in it, but that also led me to realize I hadn’t cooked a normal, traditional meatloaf in a long time. So, I considered all the things I loved about my 2 existing meatloaf recipes, and added what I know about traditional meatloaf, and came up with this one. A mommy’s on a diet original. I’ve listed the traditional oven baking directions below, with a note at the very bottom for how to do this in an instant pot.
If you like meatloaf, try my other 2 recipes for Sweet and Sour Meatloaf, and Individual Meatloaf Muffins for a different flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of lean ground beef (I used 93% lean)
- 25 Saltine Crackers
- 1 (5 oz) can of tomato sauce
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup of water
- 1 tsp granulated garlic (garlic powder)
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 2/3 Cup ketchup
- 2 TBSP water
- 2 TBSP light brown sugar
- 1 TBSP prepared mustard
Instructions
- Crush all 25 of your crackers and place them into a large mixing bowl.
- Add beef, tomato sauce, ¼ cup water, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper to the bowl.
- If you’re using onions, put them in the microwave with 1 TBSP water for 30 seconds to soften, then dump into beef mixture
- Mix everything in the bowl together well. You can wear gloves and use your hands to do this, so you can really get in there and incorporate everything well.
- Form your loaf into whatever shape you like it and place it inside a baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes. And then remove meatloaf.
- Mix all Sauce ingredients together in a bowl, and pour evenly over the top of meatloaf.
- Increase oven temperature to 400 and continue baking 15 minutes or until center of loaf reaches 160 degrees.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven, and let it rest
Makes 8 servings= 263 Calories per serving
Editors Note: If you use 96% or 97% lean beef, decrease calories by about 30 per serving. Add another 2 TBSP water to beef mixture before baking to try to make up for loss of moisture with lower fat content. I recommend using a higher fat content (but still lean) like 90-93% lean.
Instant Pot Directions:
To make this in an instant pot, use 1 cup of water in the pot, and add a trivet. Shape your meatloaf and create a platform to hold it using several layers of aluminum foil. Place your meatloaf on foil, shaping the edges of the foil loosely up around the sides of your loaf. Top with about 2/3 of the ketchup mixture. Place the foil and the loaf on to of the trivet, and cook by sealing your pressure vent, selecting manual, 40 minutes, high pressure. Allow you can quick release the steam (QR). Remove the meatloaf from the pan by lifting the trivet handles before taking the temp of the meat (if you take the temp inside the very hot pot, it will not give you an accurate reading) Use a digital meat thermometer to test center of the loaf, and if it hasn’t reached 160, place back in for 5 additional minutes at a time, QR, until temp is reached. Once it’s done, spread remaining ketchup over the meatloaf, take it out of the pot and stick the meatloaf, foil and all on a baking sheet and throw it all under the broiler for a few minutes until ketchup is thick and sticky. Allow the meatloaf to sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy 🙂
Mommy's on a diet 