Apple Pork & Beef Meatloaf

Yesterday's kitchen experiment was a success!  The meatloaf I made with ground pork, ground beef, grated apples and onions and spices was so flavorful and a perfectly dense, but not heavy, consistency.

I've always enjoyed the combination of pork and apples.  Thick-cut, bone-in chops with cinnamon apples have been a Sunday Dinner staple at my house since before we had kids.  I admit, I wasn't sure what adding grated apples into the meat might do to the texture or the apple's flavor - but it I loved how it turned out.  I thought of it like soaking the white bread in milk to moisten a meatloaf....did any of you do that?  Someone in my family did...was it my mom?  I can't remember!

I did grate the apples onto a cutting board and didn't add all the juice that was released.  I just used the grated apple flesh.  And I chose to grate the onions too - more for consistency and because my son can do without big chunks of onion in anything!

This really was a perfect fall recipe.  Great flavor, warm spices and easy preparation for busy school nights or weekly meal prep (I snuck a slice off the end and popped it in my freezer to see how it would reheat - I am happy to say, it was great for my breakfast this morning!!! - thawed AND reheated in my microwave!)

Here's how it all came together:

1 1/2 pounds of ground pork
1 pound of ground beef
1 large apple (I used Honeycrisp), grated
1 small to medium onion, grated
1 cage-free, organic egg
1 1/2 T of chili powder
1 t cayenne
2 t ground cinnamon
2 t ground mustard
1/2 t fresh nutmeg
2 t sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 350°.  Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and cover a small baking sheet with foil (this is just a precaution and not 100% necessary...but I'm all about easy clean up!) 
Combine the ground pork and beef into a large bowl.  Grate the apple and onion and add to the meat mixture.  Add the egg and spices and mix to combine thoroughly (impeccably clean hands work best!).  At this point, I make a test bite and cook it in a non-stick pan so I can adjust seasonings if necessary.

Pour this mixture into your prepared loaf pan and pat down (don't smash it down, just a light touch to even the top).

Place the loaf pan onto the baking sheet and place in the center rack of your preheated oven.
Bake for 1 hour (or until the loaf registers at 160°).  Remove meatloaf from the pan and place directly onto the lined baking sheet and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown and crisp the top.
Serve warm or right out of the refrigerator.  You can also freeze individual slices in freezer bags for easy weeknight meals.