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When my daughters were young, I had no problem trying to pull a fast one over on them by creating new dishes that looked just like their classic favorites — and let me tell you, meatloaf was definitely a favorite. When I think of ginger, my brain goes anywhere from Pickled Ginger next to my sushi, to sweet Ginger Cookies next to my milk. Most people don’t think of meatloaf, but this Sweet Ginger Meatloaf recipe is exquisite!
Sweet Ginger Meatloaf takes on the flavors of Asian cuisine through spicy ginger, sweet Thai chili sauce, with a pinch of umami through soy sauce. Thai chili sauce, the second-place star of this recipe, contains a bonus helping of ginger, plus spicy chili complemented by a sugar or jammy fruit.
For a weeknight dinner, this Sweet Ginger Meatloaf couldn’t be more simple to make. You’ll quickly soften the onions, garlic, and ginger in a hot skillet, then mix with the rest of the ingredients. After that, you’ll just pour it in a greased loaf pan to bake, and brush it with tomato paste and any remaining Thai chili sauce—if you have it.
If you’d like, you can make it extra flavorful by simply using Thai chili sauce on top by itself, but if you’re serving it to children, it might be best to stick to their beloved tomato paste crust, with a light glaze of Thai chili sauce on top. Or, keep the Thai chili sauce to the inside. There’s a lot of flavor inside this meatloaf, so you adjust to your preference (and that of your littlest taste testers!)
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Sweet Ginger Meatloaf
Take your meatloaf from ho-hum to aha! with this delicious combination of flavors! You can make this Sweet Ginger Meatloaf with ground beef or turkey.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Entrées
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk (1%)
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey or ground beef
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (reduced sodium)
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion, garlic, and ginger; cook until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, and the panko breadcrumbs.
- Add ground meat, the sautéed onion, garlic, and ginger, chili sauce, and soy sauce. Mix gently, but completely. The mixture will be very wet.
- Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Put the meat mixture into the loaf pan. Brush the top with the tomato paste, and with any remaining Thai chili sauce you might have (if any).
- Bake in the middle of the oven for about an hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F for beef or 165 degrees F for turkey.
- Let meatloaf stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Ginger is easier to grow than you may think! With our Zesty Ginger Gardening Guide, you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying this versatile plant — including specific advice about soil requirements and fertilizer, watering techniques to details about avoiding bacterial wilt, and even easy-to-make and delicious recipes that will allow you to enjoy the fruits of your ginger gardening labor!
Have you tried this meatloaf recipe? It’s good hot or cold, as a main dish or in a sandwich. Please tell us how it turned out for you.
To make this more of a keto loaf, I would use a higher fat ground beef, mushrooms in place of the panko, coconut or avocado oil in place of the vegetable oil and for the bottom of the pan in place of cooking spray, heavy cream in place of low fat milk, coconut aminos in place of soy sauce, chili powder in place of chili sauce (too much sugar). All grass fed and organic.
Suzanne,
Thank you so much for your suggestions on how to transform this recipe into a more keto-friendly meal. This will definitely give our readers even more options when they’re looking for a zesty, flavorful entree featuring fresh ginger!