This Whole30 and Paleo meatloaf is packed with classic flavors and topped with Whole30 ketchup sweetened with dates! It’s the ultimate cozy comfort food that everyone will love. Gluten free grain free, dairy free, no added sugar. 
I’ve been holding onto this recipe entirely too long! I was waiting for the stars to align, and then force me to make dinner at 9am, you know, to take the pictures for the recipe. There is just something about making a meatloaf at 9am that, most days, just doesn’t seem as appealing as making cookies, muffins, or lemon curd tartlets.
Anyway, along came a day when I found my motivation (AKA had zero time to make dinner in the evening), and so, here we are, talking Whole30 Paleo Meatloaf! I hope you’re excited, because despite my procrastination, this is a DANG good recipe. Not that I’m partial, it just happens to be a fact.
I discovered my own version of Whole30 friendly ketchup during the January Whole30 that Adam and i completed. He actually isn’t much of a ketchup fan, but, I have to admit, I like to dip almost anything in it. Not ashamed at all, it’s delicious!
Way way back, I made a low FODMAP chipotle ketchup with maple syrup, and, to not make myself think TOO hard, I simply tweaked that recipe to include dates as the sweetener instead of maple, added a bit of onion and garlic powder and omitted the chipotle pepper to get an authentic tasting ketchup that you wouldn’t guess contains no added sugar! By the way, if you like spice in your life, by all means add that chipotle – I’ve done it, it’s good. Just not so kid friendly 🙂
The meatloaf itself is very straightforward, and, what I would consider to be a “classic” style meatloaf. I know from reading the internet that there are about 10,000 versions of “classic” anything, so all I can say is this is my personal classic.
The recipe is in our weekly rotation (okay fine, bi-weekly, only because it takes an hour to bake!) and my kids somehow, by some miracle of meal creation, do not complain about the onions or garlic “pieces.” All I can make of it is that the meatloaf is good enough for them to overlook the serious matter of the invasion of chopped onions. How many recipes can we really say that for, mommas?!
Don’t worry though, I picked the parsley off before serving it to them, heaven forbid we have onions plus green leaves hanging around for no good reason…
One more highly desirable quality of this paleo meatloaf? It’s perfect for leftovers! Heck, you can even make & bake the entire thing the day before (or at 9am if you’re like me) and it reheats just fine. No dryness, possibly thanks to those yummy onions and garlic which you’ll sauté in ghee to get them extra flavorful. The 85% lean ground beef definitely doesn’t hurt either! I get mine from U.S. Wellness Meats, but you can typically find 80-85% lean grass fed ground beef now at most grocery stores.
It’s time to make this meatloaf – are you with me? I hope you and your family love this one as much as we do! Let’s cook!
Whole30 Paleo Meatloaf {With Whole30 Ketchup!}
Whole30 Paleo Meatloaf {with Whole30 Ketchup!}
Ingredients
For the Ketchup:
- 1/3 cup medjool dates pitted, soaked in hot water to soften, and drained (use 1/4 cup if you want it less sweet)
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 3 tbsp water in addition to soaking the dates
- 2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Optional 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper for spice
For the Meatloaf:
- 2 lbs 85% lean grass fed ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 3 Tbsp Whole30 ketchup see recipe above
- 1 small onion or half medium one minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 Tbsp ghee for cooking onion and garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp mustard check label for Whole30 compliance
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/4-1/3 cups Whole30 ketchup for top of the loaf
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Ketchup First {this can be done ahead of time}
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In a food processor or high speed blender, process/blend all ingredients on high speed until pureed, scraping the sides to incorporate all ingredients evenly. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator until ready to use, leftovers can be refrigerated for 1-2 weeks.
Prepare the Meatloaf:
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Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
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In a medium skillet, sauté the onions in the 2 Tbsp ghee (or other cooking fat) until soft, add the garlic, sprinkle with a tiny bit of sea salt and continue to cook, stirring, for about one minute, then remove from heat.
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In a large bowl, combine the beef, eggs, almond flour, 3 Tbsp ketchup, cooked onion and garlic with ghee, salt, mustard, Italian seasoning and black pepper. Mix with your hands until well incorporated but try not to over-mix, since this will toughen the meat.
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Transfer the meat mixture to a 9 x 5 loaf pan (or 8.5 x 4.5) and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove and spread 1/4-1/3 cup of the ketchup over the top of the loaf, return to oven and continue to bake for 40-45 more minutes until center is cooked (an internal temp of 160 degrees F)
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Allow the loaf to rest for 10 minutes or so, then slice and serve, garnished with chopped parsley if desired. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Products I Recommend to Make My Whole30 Paleo Meatloaf (and ketchup!)
Want more Whole30 & Paleo dinner ideas? Try one of these!
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Bacon Wrapped Buffalo Ranch Chicken Meatloaf
Tell Me!
What’s your favorite Paleo friendly comfort food/meal?
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Hi! I'm Michele. Paleo eater and recipe creator, runner, and mom of 3. Welcome to my blog, where we obsess over all of it and love every minute! (It's way fun over here, promise.) Stay a while to eat, run, and rant with me! 
Hmmm… I’m not sure it’s Paleo friendly, but my favorite comfort food is probably mashed potatoes. 🙂 I also really love . . . roast and veggies or roast chicken and veggies.
This meatloaf is so pretty; I love how you photographed it. It sounds really delicious.
You can make ’em paleo friendly for sure 🙂 Thanks Emily!
so…my mom would always top meat loaf with bacon….THAT would still be Paleo friendly, right? ( not Whole 30, i guess)
looks a lot like hers….maybe that is coming up this week for us…
I always buy Whole30 friendly bacon so yes that would still work out! A little bacon wouldn’t hurt 🙂
Can you believe I have never had meet loaf? Not part of my family tradition I guess. I’m pretty sure I would like it though and it would be perfect to bring to work. Comfort food? crispy sweet potato slices topped with spicy taco meet, avocado and salsa! Mium!
Thank you, Michelle!! My kiddos are in love!! And the ketchup, they think is fabulous!!
A wonderful go to recipe!
Blessings,
Renee
Is the ketchup really whole30 since the tomato paste you recommend has sugar in it? I’m only on day 2 of my whole30 and want to stay compliant. Thanks!
The ingredients in the tomato paste are just tomato paste and citric acid. Which brand are you looking at? In any case the tomato paste you choose should not contain added sugar to be compliant. The dates will sweeten the ketchup to keep it Whole30. Hope this helps!
Ooh also if you haven’t seen this already it’s a great Whole30 resource: https://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/
Just made the meatloaf tonight and it was fabulous and so was the ketchup.
I have mine in the oven right now! So happy you have a whole30 recipe section. I did the whole30 starting Feb 3 after the birth of my daughter and lost 50 lbs. After going off and seeing how food affects my stomach I’m back on and looking for some new food ideas!
Thank you for this one!
My meatloaf is in the oven right now- I substituted beef for ground turkey. The ketchup was amazing! I’ll never use the other stuff again. Thanks for sharing this recipe. My kitchen smells wonderful-can’t wait to eat the meatloaf! I have no doubt it’s going to be delicious.
Do you have to use almond flour or can you substitute a gluten free baking flour?
Can you use one pound beef and 1 pound ground pork?
Yup that would be great 🙂
We really enjoyed the meatloaf! My husband eats Paleo and I’ve been looking for new dinner inspiration. We’re going to try your sausage pizza sweet potatoes this week, too! Thanks!
Yay! So glad you liked them, I bet you’ll love the sweet potatoes too 🙂
Can this be frozen?
Haven’t tried it so not sure how it would taste reheated.
Pro-tip…pack your meatloaf mixture into muffin tins and cut baking time in half or less!
Love it!
This meatloaf is out of this world! Thank you so much for all of your life saving recipes! 🙂
So happy you liked it – woohoo!