Sam The Cooking Guy Meatloaf

This meatloaf with spinach, made with ground beef and pork, and topped with a sweet and spicy chipotle ketchup, is an easy way to get your greens in and keep everyone happy.

A cooked meatloaf with spinach with four slices cut from it.

Adapted from Sam Zien | Sam the Cooking Guy: Recipes with Intentional Leftovers | Countryman Press, 2020

So you make meatloaf. One of the greatest foods ever. I know a lot of people are off of it. They don't like it. I think that's just because they grew up with crappy meatloaf. I think my meatloaf is a great meatloaf. I ended up putting spinach in the middle of this meatloaf, and it's a whole different thing. It's completely gorgeous. It's maybe one of the most beautiful meatloaves I've ever seen in my life. It occurred to me one day, as I'm looking at a leftover big fat slice of meatloaf, what could that become? It became a meat sauce for me. I had in my fridge, some leftover roasted red pepper sauce that I made. That, I think, is one of the greatest things ever that you can make literally with a jar of roasted red peppers and a little broth and some seasoning. You're there and you put it in a blender and you're done.

–Sam Zien

How do i keep my meatloaf moist?

Meatloaf often gets a bad rap. But when you've had one that's juicy and moist, you know better than to turn your nose up. The secret to keeping your meatloaf with spinach tender and not dried out is making sure there's enough of the right components in there to begin with, as well as adding a little more. Use a fattier grade of ground beef as the lean stuff will crumble and be dry. Also include ingredients that are high in moisture themselves—spinach, eggs, onions, ketchup, or anything wet, really. Finally, a thick layer of glaze helps to keep everything beneath it juicy and tender.

Meatloaf with Spinach

Quick Glance
Quick Glance
20 M
1 H, 30 M
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

For the meatloaf
Oil or nonstick cooking spray, for the pan
1 pound ground beef, preferably 80/20
1 pound ground pork
1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
One package (1 ounce) store-bought or homemade fajita seasoning or Texas Dry Rub
4 ounces canned diced green chile peppers
2 large eggs, beaten
For the glaze
1 cup store-bought or homemade ketchup
1/3 cup store-bought or homemade apricot jam
2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chile
Chopped scallions, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Slick a 9-by-5-inch (23-by-13-cm) loaf pan or rimmed baking sheet with oil or coat with cooking spray.

For easier cleanup, line your loaf pan or baking sheet with foil before coating with oil or cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine all the meatloaf ingredients and transfer to the prepared loaf pan, or shape into a 9-by-5-inch (23-by-13-cm) loaf and place on the prepared baking sheet.

For a neater free-form loaf, line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and press the meat mixture into the pan. Flip the loaf pan onto your baking sheet, remove the plastic wrap, and voila, perfection!

In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, apricot jam, and chipotle chile, and spread about 3/4 of it over the meatloaf. Reserve the remaining glaze.

Bake until the meatloaf is cooked through and registers 155° to 160°F (68° to 71°C) on an instant read thermometer, 45 to 75 minutes.

Remove from the oven, coat with the remaining glaze, and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 1-inch-thick (25-mm) pieces. Sprinkle with scallions, if using, and serve.

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