This tiny meatloaf is flavored with onion, garlic, basil and Worcestershire sauce and gets topped with a slather of molasses-spiked ketchup.
The resulting loaf is beefy and tender and sized just right for one — double the recipe to serve two.
The recipe calls for making the loaf in a 5-inch square baking dish, which we didn't have. Instead, we packed the mixture into a 4-inch square baking dish and ours turned out just fine.
We loved the flavor dried basil added to this meatloaf. But if you're not a basil fan, you may want to use a different herb — parsley or thyme or a combination would be good.
The recipe as written contains quite a bit of sodium. If sodium is a concern for you, omitting the ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and using fresh breadcrumbs — remove the crust from ½ slice of white sandwich bread and pulse it to fine crumbs in a food processor or blender — will reduce the sodium by about 500 mg. The ketchup also packs quite a bit of sodium (360 mg) and sugar (8 g). If sugar is a concern, leave out the molasses and use reduced-sugar ketchup.
Paired with steamed green beans and (instant) mashed potatoes this meatloaf make for a very filling and satisfying dinner.
Classic Meatloaf For One
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced or mashed to a paste
¼ teaspoon dried basil
6 ounces ground beef (we recommend no less than 80% lean)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons seasoned dry breadcrumbs (fresh breadcrumbs will work too)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 ½ teaspoons molasses
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 5-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil.
In a small skillet heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and basil and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Remove skillet from heat and let cool briefly.
In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, onion mixture, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, egg and breadcrumbs. Using a large spoon, or your hands, gently mix until combined.
Shape mixture into an oval and place in the prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup and molasses. Pour mixture over meatloaf and bake 10 minutes more or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Let loaf rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 1 generous serving.
Nutrition information: The entire recipe contains approximately 692 calories, 41 g protein, 45 g fat, 31 g carbohydrate (17 g sugar), 1,293 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Adapted from The Ultimate Cooking for One Cookbook: 175 Super Easy Recipes Made Just for You by Joanie Zisk
Food on 01/22/2020