Add Gruyère cheese, beef broth, and a ton of gorgeously caramelized onions to beef and you’ve got French onion-inspired meatloaf. I usually love my meatloaf (either regular, turkey, or vegetarian) with a side of ketchup since I’m old school, but the combination of almond milk, broth, and a little secret in the middle keep things very non-dry and no sauce is really needed. I resisted using the M word there… you’re welcome.
The not-so-secret secret in this recipe (imparted from my mom) is the use of a piece of bread soaked in almond milk and then mixed in with the meat. It’s like breadcrumbs, except infused with milk. I used low carb bread and almond flour to keep things a little lighter and lower in carbs, which is just my preference. Feel free to sub in your choice of breadcrumbs, corn starch, or good ol’ Corn Flakes… whatever you like.
If you decide to forgo this muffin tin-style and go for an actual loaf (I love these in portion-controlled versions myself), don’t forget to increase the cooking time to around 45-50 minutes. Oh, and if you want to substitute ground turkey, remember that it won’t shrink up as much as beef will, so you don’t have to smoosh so much into the muffin tins themselves. Beef shrinks so much!
Here’s how I did it:
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large sweet onions, diced
- 1/3 cup low sodium beef broth
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk, divided
- 1 slice whole wheat or low carb bread
- 3 tbsp almond flour
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 oz sliced or shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Grease 6-9 muffin tins (I used 9 portions in a square muffin tin).
- In a pan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat.
- Saute garlic, onions, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce until onions are caramelized, about 35-40 minutes. Stir occasionally and deglaze as needed.
- Meanwhile, soak the bread in a small amount of almond milk for a few minutes.
- Whisk together beef broth, egg whites, and the rest of the almond milk in a large bowl.
- When onions are caramelized, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes, then add onions, almond flour, soaked bread, and beef to the egg white mixture. Incorporate all ingredients until combined.
- Divide mixture between the muffin tins, and cook for 35-40 minutes until cooked throughout.
- Take out the pan and immediately top with Gruyère. Put them back in the oven and broil for an additional 3 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
Kerriedc says
Oh. My. God. This marries my two faves: French onion soup and meatloaf. Cannot wait to make it!
Catherine says
Yay! Let me know how it turns out if you make it! 🙂
Tami says
Yummmm, on my menu too!