This Low Carb Meatloaf recipe was one for the record books. It smashed our comfort food craving, but still kept us feeling healthy and satisfied in a not overly full way. Delicious until the very last slice was gone.
Scroll to the bottom to get to the recipe immediately, or keep reading for a quick catch up.
The Science Behind Comfort Food
When it’s Fall, even if it’s the 80-degree type Falls that we have here in Denver, I immediately begin to crave comfort foods. Ice cream, pizza, and meatloaf (thus the recipe today) are all that I have in mind when it comes to preparing our meals.
Which made me think, what is the science behind comfort foods. Why, especially at certain points in the year, do I “need” to have the unhealthy foods of my childhood.
After doing some digging and finding several studies, the one that hit home the most for me came from Science Daily. As a Cliff’s Notes version, their study shows that “…comfort food applies the breaks on a key element of chronic stress.” So, in essence, we crave foods that remind us of times when we lacked stress, in an attempt to cure our stress.
Key time periods for this are going to be around peak holiday seasons, times where we’re away from home often, or times that our body goes through a lot of stress (ex. cold season.) In these points in the year, it’s important that we prep by exercising a bit more means to help to alleviate some of our stress. But just know that it’s okay to indulge in your comfort foods for a limited period of time. As long as we don’t turn eating fatty foods and sleeping non-stop into a lifestyle, then we’re okay.
And now you know!
Ray and I have been in a bit of a comfort food mode in the past few weeks. With the seasons changing and ski season upon us, I can’t help but watch the leaves change all day and crave my favorite foods from my childhood. Enter the meatloaf.
Every year for my birthday, I got to pick the meal I wanted the family to enjoy. And every year, without fail, I leaned towards meatloaf with mashed potatoes on the side. (We only did healthy dishes in our household. Ha!) And I decided that it was about time to make this recipe my own.
While not entirely healthy, I cut out and switched around a lot of the ingredients to make this meal just a tad more low carb and healthier than traditional meatloaf. But hey, take what you can get, right?!
Low Carb Meatloaf
Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Serves: 5 adults
Ingredients
For Meat:
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1 lb of Ground Beef
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1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar
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1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
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1 Green Bell Pepper (diced)
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1/2 White Onion (diced)
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2 cloves Garlic (diced)
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1 Eggs
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1/2 cup Almond Flour
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1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
For Sauce:
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1/2 cup Ketchup
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1/4 cup Brown Sugar
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1 tablespoons Yellow Mustard
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1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to bake on 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients used for the meat (beef, cheese, pepper, onion, garlic, eggs, flour, and sauce), using your hands to combine.
- Spray the base of a 10×10 pan with baking spray. Shape the mixing you just created into the shape of a loaf diagonally in the pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
- In the meantime, stir the sauce ingredients (ketchup, sugar, mustard, sauce) together in a small bowl.
- Once you’ve removed the meat from the oven, increase the heat to bake on 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spoon the sauce mixture evenly on top of the loaf. Place the meatloaf bake into the oven for 20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through, Enjoy! Store up to 3 days in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
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