Meatloaf

1. 1A single mass of seasoned ground meat shaped into a loaf and baked, then sliced
2. 2Bound with a panade of breadcrumbs (or soaked bread/oats), egg, and onion
3. 3Topped with a sweet-tangy ketchup or tomato glaze that caramelizes during baking
4. 4Served in thick slices as a hot dinner main
5. 5An economical, homely comfort dish — leftovers famously make sandwiches

Binding with a panade

Bread soaked with liquid plus egg keeps the dense meat mass tender and sliceable rather than dry and crumbly

Baking in a loaf form with a glaze

Slow oven baking sets the loaf shape while the glaze caramelizes into a sweet-tangy crust

Served

Cut into thick slices, hot from the oven

Temperature

hot

Portion

1-2 thick slices

Pairs with

mashed potatoes · green beans · gravy · corn · dinner rolls

• Beef-pork mix → Ground turkey or all-beefadmissible

  Acceptable protein variation

• Breadcrumbs → Rolled oats or crushed crackersadmissible

  Acceptable binder swaps

• Binder (panade and egg) → No binder at allinadmissible

  Destroys the dish — without a binder the loaf falls apart and dries out, becoming crumbled meat rather than meatloaf

• Overmixing the meat so the loaf turns rubbery
• Omitting the panade leaving it dry and crumbly
• Skipping a rest so slices fall apart
• Packing it too densely without letting fat render and drain

A staple of American home and diner cooking with roots in European chopped-meat loaves; it became a Depression-era and mid-century icon as an economical way to stretch ground meat.

Claimed by: United States

1. 1.American home-cooking tradition

Confidence: high