One pan Greek traditional recipe! Baked with potatoes and a light tomato sauce, this meatloaf is the perfect family dinner!
Few dishes can evoke so many memories and warm your soul like meatloaf does! There’s just something about the way it’s made… You have to dip your hands deep in the minced meat (forget the stand mixer guys!) and work the mixture with the rest of the ingredients in order to mix everything well. You have to use your nose and smell it, just to check if it needs a bit more of those spices your grandma used. Then you form a big loaf and caress it, to even the shape and smooth its surface, making it appealing and pretty. And after it’s baked, you cut thick slices and serve them to your loved ones!
Is it simply the meatloaf, or is it the love you put inside that makes it so irresistible?
This meatloaf is a traditional Greek recipe, made with minced beef and scented with mediterranean herbs like oregano, thyme and parsley. I sometimes use a small bunch of spearmint which lends the dish a subtle freshness and nice aroma. Baking the loaf and potatoes together in the same pan is a common thing in mediterranean cuisine and not only saves you time and cleaning up, but it also makes the potatoes tastier, because they get baked inside the tomato sauce and the juices from the meatloaf.
How to make it:
Cut a large piece of baking paper and put place on top all of the meat mixture. Then, using your hands, form a 12-inch by 9-inch (30×22 cm) rectangular layer and align the eggs in the middle. To minimize the possibility someone getting a slice with only egg white and no yolk, you can cut the edges of the eggs a little bit, just like you see in the photo 🙂 Afterwards, with the help of the baking paper, roll the mixture into a log, press it gently to seal any seams and transfer it carefully into a large pan. Cut the potatoes into wedges, pour over the light tomato sauce and bake for about an hour.
Some notes/tips:
Bread crumbs make the meatloaf soft, fluffy and tender. Make them in a food processor, using real bread.
Cut the edge of each egg a little, so that everyone gets a piece with yolk and not just white
You can bake the meatloaf in a loaf tin for ease, but I recommend baking everything in a pan for a rustic appearance and more flavor (this way, the potatoes get baked with some of the juices from the meat).
Similar recipes:
One pan mini meat loaves with potatoes
Papardelle a la spanakopita
Bone broth soup with beef and vegetables
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- For the meatloaf:
- 2 pounds (900 grams) minced beef
- 4 cups bread crumbs (about 7 oz/200 grams)
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 tomato, grated
- 1 onion, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice, grounded
- 1 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional, it tenderizes the meat)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, optional
- 5 hard boiled eggs, peeled
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- For the potatoes:
- About 3 pounds potatoes, cut in wedges
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup water for the pan
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- For the light tomato sauce:
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 3/4 cup water
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Preheat your oven to 356°F (180°C).
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Cut a large piece of baking paper and let it on your work surface. Lightly oil a large, deep pan.
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Place all the ingredients for the meatloaf in a large bowl and mix well with your hands for 5 minutes until everything is nice and smooth and well combined. If mixture seems a little dry, you can add a couple tablespoons of water.
Transfer mixture on the baking paper and form a 12-inch by 9-inch (30x22 cm) rectangular layer.
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Align the eggs in the middle and roll, using the baking paper, into a log. Press it gently to seal any seams, but don’t overdo it, because you may ruin its shape.
With the help of the baking paper, transfer it carefully into the pan.
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Mix the potatoes with salt and pepper, oregano and olive oil and transfer them into the pan. Pour half a cup of water into the pan (or enough water to cover the bottom). Combine the tomato paste with the 3/4 cups of water to form a light sauce and pour it over the meatloaf and the potatoes.
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Bake for 50-60 minutes. Add a splash of water into the pan during baking, if you notice most of the juices to have evaporated. Eat!
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Too much bread crumbs for amount of meat. Not enough liquid resuted in a dry, flaky meat loaf. Did not hold together when sliced. Also timing os way off. 350 for 60 minutes results in an undercooked, semi-raw meatloaf. You need a hour and one half or maybe longer to get a fully-cooked meatloaf.
You never actually made this, correct?