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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Just tried it. Wow. I love the Ketchup recipe and cooking the onions in the ghee. Delicious. Definitely best I have tasted so far.
I’m so happy I found this recipe! I made it tonight (I used Primal Kitchen’s unsweetened ketchup since I had it on hand) and it was SO. GOOD. My kids devoured it. It definitely made enough for two dinners (there are three of us) and my kids are excited they get to eat it again this week! Thank you for being awesome!
Turned out sooooo good! I used a little less than 1/3 cup of cassava flour instead of almond flour and tried one other commenter’s suggestion of cooking the meatloaf in muffin tins. Seriously, this felt so delicious and decadent it was hard to remember that it was actually good for me! Thanks so much for the bomb recipe!
The author is a total narcissist….she should stop talking about herself like she should be worshipped by all of the readers, and just give the damn recipe….by the time I got to that part I was nauseated…going to a different site for a recipe….
Awwww…..go somewhere else then? Jesus.
This recipe was delicious! Thank you for the great whole30 ketchup recipe too! I added other veggies to the meatloaf that I had on hand: red bell pepper, celery, jalapeno and baby spinach.
Thank you again!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I make lunch for 40 on Wednesdays and there are always a few on whole30 or eating low carb so when I found your recipe with such rave reviews I decided to make it and I’m glad I did! Everyone loved it!
Made this the other day and my family loved it! So much I’m making it again tonight for the second time this week. Forget that it’s Whole30, I’ll be making this anytime. Probably the best meatloaf recipe I’ve ever had. I used spicy mustard instead of regular and used a mix of chuck, pork and regular ground beef.
If I make this using only one pound of ground beef-do I lessen the cooking time?
Delicious meatloaf and the best homemade paleo ketchup recipe ever! The apple cider vinegar was a little strong for me so I substituted one TB with a TB of lemon juice. It was perfect!
Tried this for the first time tonight and it was a HUGE hit!!! The flavor of the meat was absolutely delicious. The only thing I had to change was adding water (I used the stuff the dates soaked in) to the ketchup recipe because my blender sucks and wouldn’t blend because it was too thick. But now I have leftover ketchup to use and even our 7 yr old loved it (with a spoon ?) ?