Hairy Bikers Meatloaf with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Hairy Bikers meatloaf with spicy tomato sauce mixes lean beef and pork mince with soft veg and parsley, then adds a chilli tomato sauce. So the Hairy Dieters Eat for Life recipe makes 6 portions at 343 calories apiece, taking 1 hour 10 minutes start to finish.

“Eat our meatloaf and you won’t end up looking like Meatloaf,” Si and Dave joke, because “we take the fat out of hell!” So the beef is 10% fat and the pork just 8%, while the veg cook in a single teaspoon of oil.

I find the 8 minutes with the lid on matters most, because steam softens the onion, carrot and celery in a teaspoon of oil. After 5 minutes cooling, the raw mince goes in, and I mix until it feels fairly stiff but moist.

Hairy Bikers Meatloaf with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British American Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 50 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:1 hour 10 minutesServings:6 servingsCalories:343 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A low-fat loaf of beef, pork, breadcrumbs and egg is spooned into a 900g tin with a parchment-lined base and baked until firm. While it’s in the oven, chopped tomatoes simmer gently with oregano and dried chilli flakes into a sauce for pouring, left chunky or blitzed smooth.

Ingredients

For the meatloaf

• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 celery stick, trimmed and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 400g lean minced beef (10% fat)
• 400g lean minced pork (8% fat)
• 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 75g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 20g bunch of flatleaf parsley, leaves finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 1 tsp flaked sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the spicy tomato sauce

• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 200ml cold water
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup

Instructions

1. Soften the veg: Heat the oil in a medium non-stick saucepan and add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Then put a lid on and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veg are well softened.
2. Add the thyme: Stir in the thyme and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Then tip everything into a large bowl and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Prepare the tin: Heat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5 and line the base of a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment.
4. Mix the loaf: Add the beef, pork, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg, salt and plenty of pepper to the veg. Then mix well until thoroughly combined, so the mixture feels fairly stiff but moist.
5. Bake: Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes, until lightly browned and firm. And if you have a digital thermometer, check the middle has reached at least 75°C.
6. Make the sauce: While the meatloaf bakes, heat the oil in a medium non-stick pan and add the onion and garlic. Then cover and fry gently for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and light golden brown. Next add the tomatoes, water, chilli, oregano and ketchup, and simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
7. Serve: Leave the sauce chunky or blitz it smooth with a stick blender, then keep it warm. Once the meatloaf is ready, turn it out onto a warmed plate or board, peel off the parchment and cut thick slices. Then serve with the spicy sauce for pouring, and garnish with more parsley if you like.

FAQs

What do you serve with meatloaf?

Here the tomato sauce takes the place of gravy, so I keep the sides simple: something soft to soak it up and something green. And their other loaves keep it simple too, with mash and greens for the chicken one and potato salad for Nancy’s American meatloaf.

My pick is this creamy mustard mash with peas, while a classic potato salad suits leftover slices eaten cold.

How long does meatloaf take to cook in the oven?

This one needs 40 minutes at 190°C (Fan 170°C) in a 900g loaf tin, and the middle should reach at least 75°C. But the three-meat meatloaf with gravy bakes for 45 minutes in a roasting tin, while the free-form chicken loaf takes an hour.

So the oven temperature, the shape and the weight all shift the timing, which is why I’d rather trust a thermometer than the clock. And I’ve lined up the timings for all six in these Hairy Bikers meatloaf recipes.

Is meatloaf healthy?

It can be, since this Hairy Dieters version stays at 343 calories a portion. And that’s because both minces are lean, while the whole recipe uses just two teaspoons of oil. By comparison I put the three-meat loaf with gravy at about 550, since sausage meat goes in alongside the beef and pork.

How long does meatloaf last in the fridge?

NHS Forth Valley’s leftovers advice is to eat them within 2 days, so I cool spare slices quickly and chill them within the hour. And of their three-meat loaf in British Classics, they write that a cold slice is welcome in a lunchbox, which is where mine end up.

If you’d rather eat it hot, reheat it only once and until it’s piping hot all the way through.

Can you make the tomato sauce less spicy?

Yes, and Si and Dave suggest it themselves, since they admit to being massive chilli fans and say fewer flakes give a milder flavour. So I’d halve the teaspoon of dried chilli for children, then add a pinch more at the end if anyone wants extra heat.

If you like mince in a tomato sauce, their Italian meatballs in tomato sauce work the same flavours in a pan.