This beefy dill and fennel meatloaf takes everyday cooking down an unfamiliar street. Great freshly made, great reheated, great cold.
Dill and Fennel Meatloaf
Course: DinnerCuisine: American6
servingsIngredients
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp coarse salt
4.5 oz. (1⅓ cups) fresh bread crumbs
4.25 oz. (1 cup) minced cooked vegetables
1⅓ oz. (1 stalk) minced celery
1 Tbs minced fresh dill
2 Tbs brown sugar
4½ tsp dry mustard
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp spicy chili crisp
6.75 oz. (½ cup + 3 Tbs) ketchup
2 eggs
1½ lbs. 93% lean ground beef
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Pour the salt over the garlic on a cutting board, and mince the garlic. Scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Except for the beef, add remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly. Add the beef, gently pulling it apart with your fingers and folding it into the wet mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a large loaf pan. Edge a flexible spatula in between the meat and the sides of the pan, pulling the meat away from the pan and upward, so that you form the meat in a bit more of a loaf, rather than having it pressed flatly against the sides of the pan.
- Bake until the exterior starts to deeply brown and the internal temperature reaches 145°F, about 1 hour. Let rest on a rack for 15 minutes before serving.
This is without a doubt one of my tastiest meatloaves. It’s not traditional, though – so if you’re looking for a slice of mom-made Americana, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for something that is so addictive that you can’t put it down, look here.
Yeah, I know: dill. I told you it’s untraditional. But get this: the dill is there, clearly, but because it’s mixed in with so many other interesting flavors, it doesn’t seems as dilly as you might think it would. Really, the impression you get is, “Wow, that’s interesting. I love it! What is that? Dill?”
Social Learning
The sweetness from the ketchup and brown sugar you would think would be weird, but in the context of the spices, it’s not. Instead, the flavor balance is just perfect. In terms of density, this meatloaf is very, very pleasantly light, even though it’s as beefy as you could possibly want it to be. You do get an almost inperceptible touch of the chili crisp in the finish. Use more if you want that to be obvious.
I’m not a fan of cold meatloaf, but this one was fantastic cold.
The caramelized bits on the sides and top are to die for! I got mine black, as you can see, and I loved it – but you wouldn’t want to take that too far.
I have to confess that the slices didn’t hold together well. The slices fell in half as I sliced them. Also, the meatloaf’s a little bit on the dry side. I don’t think it is too dry … it’s just that it’s dryer than you’d expect. I might try to change that by adding in some melted butter next time, rather than opting for a fatter beef percentage. I’m wondering it that’d help it hold together better, too.
I made fresh bread crumbs by slicing a baguette, tossing it with olive oil, baking it in the oven, letting it cool, placing the slices into a freezer bag, and smashing them with a very sturdy coffee mug (holding it by the handle and smashing with the opposite side). Yes, I worried that I’d break the mug – but it didn’t – and really I should’ve used a rolling pin.
For the cooked veg, I used carrot and asparagus. I’m not sure the veg really needs to be cooked. I think raw veg would’ve worked just as well.
Don’t take food safety advice from me. According to the USDA, the safe minimum internal temperature for meatloaf and other ground beef recipes is 160°F. Note however that while the meatloaf rests, its temperature will rise by as much as 19 degrees. If you do want it to reach 160°F in the oven, you may need to glaze it and/or tent it with foil for part of the time, because it will otherwise probably burn before it reaches that temperature. Make your own decision about this.
Dill and Fennel Meatloaf
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. References: “Meatloaf 101,” from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics, pg. 234-35. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2007. Also: USDA.gov, BHG.com.. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #13 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.
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je ne connais pas, mais ton superbe pain de viande, à l’air délicieux!
bisous
Thank you, Josette!
I like dill and fennel with fish. I reckon with beef they’d be good too. Thanks for sharing, Jeff.
You’re welcome! Maybe a meatloaf would fit into your diet.
I was thinking that too
🙂
We like meatloaf. I have never thought of using dill in the meatloaf, definitely something to try.
Honestly, I’ve never thought of it, either, but I had some in the fridge, and it really turned out great.
I love the flavors and texture of your amazing homemade meatloaf. The fresh dill, fennel, and spicy chili crisp help to create a fabulously complex flavor that makes your meatloaf ultra tempting!
Thanks, Heidi!
This looks like a really delicious meatloaf Jeff with lots of interesting information from you. My memories of homemade meatloaf are with a delicious topping (glaze) of tomato sauce, brown sugar, and a few other things like onion etc. We wouldn’t have used dill or fennel though, probably mixed herbs, so yours is very upmarket compared to our traditional style classic Aussie meatloaf. I would love to sample the flavours in yours. I am about to write up a meatloaf recipe as well, that I cooked last light, must be the season. Very different to yours again, Middle Eastern style flavours, so there is lots of variety to be had in meatloaves. Bring on the meatloaf.
Middle Eastern flavors in a meatloaf sound great! I’ll look forward to reading about it.
Beautiful homemade meatloaf! I imagine it full of aroma and flavor
Thank you, Javier!
I love meatloaf and also have a couple of non-traditional ones in my arsenal. I bookmarked this to try soon! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks!
I’ve grown a bit tired of traditional meatloaf, so this sounds like a great idea.
It surely isn’t traditional!
Adoro i polpettoni, molto saporito il tuo!!!!
Thank you!
Interesting. If I am 100% honest, and you know I prefer that, I am not a fan of meatloaf. Hungarian meatloaf is a dry, tasteless loaf, and to add insult to injury, they put hard-boiled eggs into the centre, which cook even more as the meat bakes, making them unbearably rubbery. So I have never had a craving for the loaf. Plus I don’t love ketchup (which seems to be the standard in NA meatloaf), way too sweet for my tastebuds. But, adding dill to the meat sounds very interesting. Perhaps, one day I will break down and try one of your tried and true meatloaf recipes.
I get you and I love your honesty. Have you ever made your own ketchup? I’ve always wanted to, because you could make it to suit your tastes.
this looks and sounds good Jeff but i have to say no to adding sugar and gelatin. I’ve never added them to my meatloaf. Sorry- i just have a thing about it. But otherwise – looking good!
sherry
I understand about the sugar. I think it complements the unusual flavor profile. That’s part of what makes this loaf so different, and I’m not surprised if you dontvthink you’d like it. No worries! The gelatin, though, although it’s also unusual, i stand by. It’s not essential – in fact, I should flag it optional – but it holds in and thickens the juices, which is helpful when you’re using a lean grade of ground beef. You’d never detect in a million years that there’s gelatin there, you’d only notice that it’s rich and satisfying.
I’ve been meaning to mention that when you leave a comment on my blog, you always misspell your blog address. I correct it when I notice it, but I thought I’d leave this one as you wrote it so you could see what I mean.
Cheers!
thanks for letting me know about the URL. I think I’ve been hacked in some way! I will see how this comment goes! I have checked the url for this comment and it is definitely correct. Must be my profile info that someone has changed…
cheers
sherry
This one is right! 🙂 But the previous ones had the S and P reversed. I figured it was a type-o that got stuck in your autofill or something.
Delicious looking meatloaf and fennel and dill are such a great aromatics here. Well done!
Thanks, Ben!
Meat Loaf is one of my favorite foods yet something I very rarely make. I love that you’ve had a dill and fennel to it, as it gives it a very different taste profile than what I’m used to.
Thank you, and I know! Very different for me to! But I loved it.
I’m always game for trying new flavours Jeff and with this homemade meatloaf containing fresh dill, fennel, and spicy chilli I’m pretty sure it tastes amazing! Yum! Might do different minced vegetables than carrot and asparagus though. Maybe carrots and peas. Do you think they would work?
Honestly, I think any veg combination that you like would work.
Dill and fennel are a very interesting combination. I am not a fan of fennel but my husband and his siblings seem to love it. Of course I don’t eat meat but many recipes ideas can be applied using lentils such as a lentil loaf. Dill, fennel, and lentil loaf – could be a hit. Thanks Jeff.
Could be, Judee!
This is definitely not mom’s meatloaf, but it looks inviting and comforting all the same. Meatloaf is one of my all time favorite comfort foods, and I love to try new variations of it. This one looks really good and flavorful, Jeff! I bet a slice will be delicious on a leftover meatloaf sandwich 🙂 xo
Well, I usually don’t like cold meatloaf, and so I typically don’t eat meatloaf sandwhiches (because I typically think they’ll be cold, although I don’t suppose they have to be), but this meatloaf I loved cold.
Fennel is so underrated! I love using it in unexpected ways. This sounds delicious.
Thank you, Karen!
I have never put dill in my meatloaf, but I am so intrigued by the idea. We usually do a sweeter version with brown sugar, but a more savory recipe like this would be an awesome change of pace for us!
I hadn’t done it before now, either! This version does have brown sugar and ketchup in it, so it has some sweetness, and I wasn’t sure I’d love it, but I think it works particularly well with the other unusual flavors.
What a delicious flavor profile, Jeff. And so hearty! I love it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thanks, Valentina!
This meatloaf sounds like a game-changer! I love how the dill, often seen as a dominant flavor, becomes a subtle background note amidst all the spices and sweet ketchup. The balance you describe between the sweetness of the ketchup and brown sugar with the savory richness of the beef sounds absolutely perfect. And I can totally see why this could be addictive!
Thanks, Raynund!
Meatloaf is a favorite comfort food. Your version has some interesting ingredients – I especially like the minced veggies 🙂
Thanks, Judi!
What the dilly, yo!? This meatloaf sounds quite appetizing. We’re definitely heading into fire-in-the-fireplace and meatloaf-on-the-plate season. I might need to give this one a whirl! Also, I’m glad you can still drink coffee in the mornings.
Where would I be without coffee in the morning!
My husband is a big fan of a cold meatloaf sandwich and I’m sure he would give a thumbs up to your meatloaf.
Thank you, Karen!