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5 spice meatloaf with apricot ginger glaze

Jump To Recipe October 6, 2017 by Katie // 8 Comments »

From now on the year 2017 will be known as the year my family decided they love meatloaf. And to celebrate, and maybe turn a couple of you into meatloaf lovers, I have the BEST new recipe! It’s Meatloaf with Apricot Ginger Glaze with Chinese 5 Spice and Scallions: a fresh take on an old classic that’s kid approved! And it is magnificent!

Yep. Dinner is about to be magnificent.

Backing up, earlier this year, back in the spring, I had a couple pounds of beef left over from a photo shoot, and I decided that I wanted to try making meatloaf. Before we had kids, Jase and I used to eat meatloaf pretty regularly. At least once a month I would throw ingredients into a bowl, never the same exact ratio twice, and then bake it into a loaf or sometimes mini meatloaves in muffin tins.

But then I stopped or rather the kids stopped me from making it because they hated it. And I was just too frustrated to keep trying. Instead ground beef or turkey was turned into burgers, chop suey or chili.

So this go round, I grabbed my copy of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and used their formula, which had a super yummy sweet jam glaze on top. And whatdayaknow!?! The girls devoured it and affirmed that they loved it!

So I made a note to self: To get kids to like meatloaf, use a recipe that has been tested before and put sweet stuff on top of it.

Then I kinda got meatloaf on the brain, and I knew I had to make a meatloaf for you guys here on Healthy Seasonal Recipes! But I haven’t shared a meatloaf here since I first started the blog, and I knew this one would have to be less traditional than the meatloaf I shared in 2011. Magnificent even.

So I sautéed yellow pepper, garlic and onion. Aside: this is a step I always used to skip- but after trying the BHG recipe, I realized it makes a big difference in the overall texture of the meatloaf. Then I made fresh breadcrumbs and added Chinese 5-Spice Powder, scallions and toasted sesame oil to the meat. Then I glazed the top with apricot jam mixed with ginger and cider vinegar. I tested it with both turkey and beef because I know a lot of you prefer one or the other, and I wanted to make sure it worked both ways. The results are in: Magnificent!

How to Make Meatloaf with Apricot Ginger Glaze

Ground Beef or Ground Turkey: This recipe works with ground beef or ground turkey. For best results look for 90% lean turkey and 90 to 93% lean beef. When making burgers and meatloaf, I prefer freshly ground beef, as opposed to cryovaced, but finding organic, local and grass fed beef that’s freshly ground can be difficult. I always choose local and organic first- and beggars can’t be choosers.
Kneading: You have to keep a couple things in mind when mixing the meat, veggies, spices, breadcrumbs and egg. Turkey is much softer and easier to mix with the breadcrumbs and vegetable mixture. So much so that you can over mix it rather quickly. Over mixing can create a spongy texture. Alternatively, the beef, particularly if it was cryovaced will be more difficult to work into an even texture with the veggies and seasoning. Either way, the best way to do the mixing is with clean dry hands, gloves are optional. {Make sure you have removed your rings! Yuck!} Then keep working it together until the breadcrumbs and veggies are evenly incorporated. Then stop. As I said, overworking will make the meatloaf spongy.
Fresh Breadcrumbs: For the breadcrumbs, I made fresh crumbs from sandwich bread. I really love Dave’s Killer Bread- White Done Right for this recipe. It is whole grain, but doesn’t taste like whole-wheat. There is a Vermont Bakery that makes a multi-grain bread that I also love, so if you have one that’s locally made that you really like, try that. Avoid whole-wheat bread that contains any caramel color or molasses. Those flavors will come out in the meatloaf, and I find them distracting. To make the fresh breadcrumbs, I just cut the crusts off and then process it in the food processor with the steal blade attachment. Sorry friends, I have not tested it with gluten-free bread. Please leave a comment below if you make it with GF bread.
Seasoning: I tested with both Szechuan seasoning and Chinese 5 Spice. I found that 1 teaspoon was plenty of sweet and savory flavor, without making it so ethnic tasting that the kids would go back to their meatloaf eschewing ways. I also added in two teaspoons of toasted sesame oil, which makes the meatloaf taste very rich, and plays off the scallions.
Sweet Apricot Ginger Glaze: The real deal-sealer is the glaze on this. I bought Santa Cruz organic apricot jam. I used ¼ cup of that and mixed it with just a teaspoon of grated ginger. I used my microplane zester to grate the ginger. It makes the ginger into a paste almost- very different from minced ginger which is fluffier by comparison. So if you do not have a microplane, you can mince the ginger but maybe consider adding a touch more minced ginger- like 1 ½ teaspoon. Yes you can used ground dry ginger instead- ¾ teaspoon should be plenty! Then add in a splash of vinegar. This balances the sweetness, and it also makes the glaze looser, so that it melts down over the meatloaf.
Easy Clean-up: Line your baking sheet with parchment. It makes the clean up a billion times easier. I would not recommend foil because it is reactive.

More Healthy Family Friendly Recipes To Try

My Turkey Meatloaf from 2019 is amazing!
If you love Minestrone Soup, my version is incredibly popular!
I have this thing for Roasted Garlic Hummus, and if you love it too, you’ll want to make sure to try mine!
My kids love it when I make these Baked Oven Fries. What’s not to love!

Thanks so much for reading! If you haven’t already, make sure you sign up for my email list so you never miss a post. I send out an email on Saturday morning, so you can plan out your weekly menu.

And please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment below.

Happy Cooking!

~ Katie