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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Enjoyed the meatloaf for breakfast. Reminds me of the meatloaf my mom made with mashed potatoes baked on top.
5 stars Amazing, amazing, amazing! My whole family (including my anti-Paleo/Whole30 hubby) loved this meatloaf! If you don’t have almond flour, I used 2 Tbsp. coconut flour and 4 Tbsp. ground flaxseed and it worked great! Definitely a keeper!
This recipe was amazing and will definitely be added to our meal rotation. It was moist, tender, and oh so flavorful! Our daughter (20 MO) loved the spicey ketchup and the meatloaf; a true family meal winner.
For my personal taste, it was light on salt when tasting the final product, so I added more finishing salt on my slices. We served it over a bed of fresh baby spinach and quinoa.
I’m currently on a cleanse so this just about fits the bill for what I can and can’t eat. I did have to swap in coconut flour for the almond flour as nuts aren’t allowed on this cleanse. With coconut flour being extra dense, I dropped it to 1/4 cup instead of the 1/3 cup almond flour as listed.
I doubled the entire recipe using 2 lbs organic pork and 2 lbs organic grass-fed beef. I plan to slice and freeze the second loaf so we have easy meals for another week.
Thank you for an awesome, quick, healthful recipe for a busy family!
Our whole family enjoyed! Made as directed with the exception of substituting 4 date rolls (the ones rolled in coconut) for soaking 1/3 cup of dates just for the sake of convenience and time. (This did not add any coconut flavor in my opinion.) Overall very good and will make again! Thank you!!
Just made these. They are in the oven. I had a combination of ground turkey and ground beef, so I mixed them up. I did soak the dates in hot water for a few minutes as told. They were still in chunks in my “ketchup”. I think next time I’ll soak them overnight or try in boiling water.i also think that processing them first by themselves might help, then to add everything else. Any ideas? Suggestions? I used jumbo muffin tins and regular. I doubled this recipe. I also used 6 eggs because I had a little bit more extra beef.
This is our FAVORITE Meatloaf recipe. I make a triple batch of ketchup to use in other ways! We like to pack it into bell pepper half to make stuffed peppers as something a little different.
My entire family loves this recipe. I use primal kitchen ketchup since I try to avoid all sweetened foods. It’s so rare that all the adults and kids will eat the same meal here. So this is a nearly weekly meal at my house!
This meatloaf is delicious as is! It has replaced the one our family loved for years!
I’m not in any certain diet but just try to eat healthy overall. I LOVED this recipe. My 4, now 5 year old LOVES this meatloaf. And my boyfriend as well! Definitely will be using this again and again!!!!
This dish is a hit with my entire family. Since I strive to avoid all sugary meals, I use Primal Kitchen ketchup. It’s quite uncommon for all of the adults and children to have the same dinner here. So, at my house, this is a practically weekly supper!