Those of you who know me in real life know that I believe in calling a spade a spade. I don’t mince words and I don’t pull punches. So let’s just acknowledge the elephant in the room here and say straight out that meatloaf is very hard to photograph well. It is perhaps the least photogenic of all food items. Because no matter what you do to enhance it, no matter how many lovely toppings like caramelized onions and fancy mayonnaise, or interesting inclusions like chopped andouille sausage and toasted pecans, the fact remains. It is ground meat in loaf form and no matter how good it may taste, it’s not pretty. It is brown and ground and, well, loaf-like. Dress it up as you will, it’s meatloaf. I love the stuff and I am not ashamed to admit it. But I still don’t think it’s particularly pretty.
As unphotogenic as it is, good meatloaf is truly delicious. I think we’ve all probably had dry, flavourless meatloaf in our time, and that can be enough to turn us off this wonderful comfort food. But every food deserves a second chance, and meatloaf has made a huge comeback in recent years, even being served in fancier restaurants as comfort food with a gourmet spin. As long as care is taken to keep it moist and packed with flavour, I think meatloaf deserves its place at the gourmet table.
This particular meatloaf was actually inspired by my favourite burger recipe. Because really, burgers and meatloaf are cousins in the food world. The burger recipe is not one of my own, I can’t take any credit for it, but it’s one we’ve made over and over in this house, with some minor modifications. When I saw ground beef on sale the other day, I started thinking meatloaf. I stood in front of the cooling case, several pounds of ground beef in hand, thinking what kind of meatloaf I might like to make. When I spotted some andouille sausage further along in the case, inspiration struck. The burger version of this recipe is best grilled, and although we don’t have any snow on the ground, our grill is packed away for the season. But meatloaf is a great winter comfort food and I knew I could recreate all the wonderful flavours this way.
The Results: I almost don’t want to bother giving you results here, because this wasn’t much of a risk for me. I knew already that this seemingly odd combination of flavours is phenomenal. All I needed to do was to figure out how I wanted to work them in together in meatloaf form. In the burger, the blue cheese is just added to the top, but I decided to put it right into the meatloaf mix and it worked beautifully. That way, we could just pile the caramelized onions onto the meatloaf slices and top it with the spicy mayo. The pecans might seem like an odd addition to meatloaf (or to burgers, for that matter), but trust me, they work. They give it an interesting texture and add a little natural sweetness to the end result. This is definitely a meatloaf worth trying!
Andouille Beef Meatloaf with Cajun Mayonnaise
Meatloaf:
2 lbs lean ground beef
12 oz andouille sausage, cubed into 1/4 inch chunks
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 tbsp oat fiber or coconut flour
1/3 cup beef broth
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Cajun Mayonnaise:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
juice of half a lemon
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 tsp hot sauce
Caramelized Onions:
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
For the meatloaf, preheat oven to 325F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine ground beef, chopped andouille, chopped pecans and crumbled blue cheese in a large bowl and mix until everything is well distributed. Stir in oat fiber or coconut flour, then beef broth and egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using hands, work ingredients in together until a cohesive “dough” forms.
Turn out beef mixture onto prepared pan and form into a low, long loaf shape. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until internal temperature registers 140 to 150F on an instant read thermometer.
Meanwhile, for the mayo, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.
For the onions, heat butter or oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions to oil and stir to coat. Spread onions throughout pan and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and continue to cook 10 to 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
Slice meatloaf and top each slice with caramelized onions and Cajun Mayo.
Serves 8. Each serving has 9.6 g of carbs and 3.7g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 5.9g
Jamie says
Wow! I grew up on bland, dry meatloaf (sorry, mom) and I have avoided the stuff ever since. But meatloaf with andouille sausage, pecans and blue cheese and topped with Cajun Mayo and caramelized onions? Pass me a plate! I'll bet this is fabulous! And who needs pretty when we have fabulous in front of us, right? Great recipe!
Erin says
You did something quite amazing just now – you made me crave meatloaf. And I cannot stand meatloaf haha.
The Harried Cook says
I agree, Carolyn – Good meatloaf is actually very tasty! I love meatloaf… and your pictures look great 🙂 The flavors in these sound great! I love the pecans and the blue cheese, the caramelized onion on top and I LOVE that cajun mayo! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Erin @ Dinners, Dish says
Meatloaf isn't always my favorite, but you put so many good things in there, how could it not be good! It may be hard to photograph, but I think it looks great!
vianney says
blue cheese, pecans and a mayo..what a meatloaf!! yummy!
susiet. says
Holy sausage Batman! That sounds wonderful!! 🙂
Stephanie says
Very interesting take on meatloaf, Carolyn! I love the unusual additions of pecans and blue cheese. I bet the cheese kept it nice and moist. Also, I really love the Cajun mayo dolloped right on top. This is my kind of meal. 🙂
Abby says
Oh the andouille sounds like a great addition to meatloaf!
[email protected] says
Oh, how I would love to make this meatloaf! Sadly, low sodium diets don't include sausage or blue cheese 🙁 But pecans and caramelized onions I can do!
acommunaltable says
Meatloaf is a favorite in this household and I make several versions – but I've never made this – but that must change – andouille sausage, blue cheese AND caramelized onions? SIgn me up!
Liz says
Oh, yeah, this sounds AMAZING! So many great flavors going on…and the toppings sound fabulous. I hear ya on the photography…I have a meatloaf post next week, and yours looks so much better!
RavieNomNoms says
This looks wonderful. I really need to get into eating low card. You are such an inspiration to do so. I am just worried to make the food and it won't be as delightful as this! haha
Lauren @ KeepItSweet says
You made the meatloaf prettier than I could have! It sounds delicious, too. Love the flavor that you would get from the sausage.
Jeanette says
Looks delicious, and created the Pavlov affect as my mouth is drooling….Can't wait to try this. I'm in Phase 3 of HCG (P3) so I need to wait until Phase 4 for the nuts (2.5 more weeks). Got all the ingredients already! Can't wait!
Gina says
Maybe a hat is all it needs, lol. My husband would love this, he is the only one that would eat it though, the girls turn their noses up at meatloaf, I kinda do too, but I must be a spade too, lol. I still think it looks pretty good though. Hope you are having a great week.
-Gina-
Eliot says
Could be a great Mardi Gras dish and i think that you did a fine job photographing it. It looks tasty to me!
Terra says
This sounds delicious, my hubby would love this!!! The Cajun mayo would be a perfect compliment:-) Hugs, Terra
Tummy Belt says
This recipe sounds like a healthy and flavorful meal. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Magic of Spice says
My boys would adore the addition of sausage here 🙂 It may not be the prettiest food, but your photos look great 🙂
Jill Colonna says
Well I believe you, Carolyn, even if I couldn't even see the photos! Haven't had meatloaf in years but you've inspired me to give it a go again. Sounds wonderful.
kita says
Who cares what it looks like?! It sounds outstanding!
Epicurean Mom says
Oh my!! This sounds AMAZING!!! Mmmmmmm!!!
healthyfoodie says
Wow, this sounds like one of the most flavorful meatloaves ever! 🙂 Looks really delicious!
Lynn says
I was actually thinking about doing a meatloaf post, but chickened out because I couldn't figure out how to get a good pic. Probably for the best because me recipe wasn't nearly as flavourful as this one sounds!
Emily @ Life on Food says
I actually think that your pictures look great. Some of the best meatloaf slices I have seen. I made some tonight and my photos are so bad I don't know if I can publish them. I am not a huge fan of meatloaf…I think it is the name but I love all of the flavors in this recipe.
Lisa says
Made this recipe last night using chicken andouille sausage and gorgonzola. My husband decided to make a homemade Alton Brown mayo to use as the base for Cajun Mayo. Let's just say WOW!
Thanks as always Carolyn. Fabulous recipe!
food_dreamer says
So glad you liked it!!!
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
Jaimie says
I’m allergic to blue cheese and related cheeses like Gorgonzola (specifically I’m allergic to the mold). Is there another cheese you think could work well with this?
Carolyn says
Just try cheddar. Not at all the same but still tasty!