Easy recipe for a low carb meatloaf made with cauliflower and ground beef. Simple, healthy dinner idea and comfort food recipe with absolutely no ketchup!
Meatloaf is one of my favorite meals, but my regular meatloaf has oatmeal, ketchup, and BBQ sauce, which all spell carbs, pretty much a no go for Dan. So I decided to work on a low carb meatloaf recipe he could enjoy too.
I'm not sure if this could be considered a keto meatloaf; I don't know enough about keto ingredients at this point. BUT I do know it's one recipe you can add to your list of low carb foods.
Now it is a work in progress, meaning I may be coming back to tweak it as I continue making it. I like to do that when I remake things over and over… I'll tweak ingredients and sometimes it turns out even better than before.
This easy meatloaf is definitely delicious just the way it is, though. Even without all the ketchup and BBQ sauce that's in my favorite meatloaf with oatmeal, it still has a ton of flavor.
And if you're making meatloaf and need fewer servings, you can always cut the recipe in half. I like to make enough so that we can have meatloaf sandwiches (or salads) the next day for lunch.
I JUST WANT THE RECIPE! TAKE ME TO THE LOW CARB MEATLOAF RECIPE!
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious recipe for low carb meatloaf – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
MEATLOAF INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
You'll need just a few simple ingredients to make this low carb meatloaf…
- Ground beef
- Eggs
- Small onion
- Steamed cauliflower rice
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
You can also add a little parmesan, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup if you want more flavor… Parmesan is definitely something I add to my baked Italian cauliflower meatballs, but unfortunately, I didn't have any on hand for my homemade meatloaf.
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE A LOW CARB MEATLOAF
Meatloaf is super easy to make, which is why it's usually on our menu at least once or twice a month. It's basically a throw everything in the bowl and mix it up type of recipe.
I'd suggest using a leaner ground beef that won't shrink as much when baked. Meat with more fat will leave a ton of liquid in the pan when it's done baking, and it's liable to shrink up big time.
We usually buy beef from our local butcher shop, and it's about a 90/10 mixture, which works really well for meatloaf. That mixture still gives off a little bit of juice but not so much that our meatloaf is sitting in a bunch of liquid.
The steamed cauliflower rice will help the meatloaf to be moist… Normally, I use oatmeal, but the carb content in oatmeal deterred me from using it for this recipe.
As for seasonings, we kept it simple. Salt, pepper, seasoning salt, and a Texas Style BBQ Seasoning (Great Value brand) we found at Walmart; I still like just a hint of BBQ flavor in my meatloaf.
HOW LONG TO COOK MEATLOAF
You'll bake meatloaf at 350° in the oven.
Meatloaf usually takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to cook all the way through. You want to make sure it reaches an internal temperature of at least 160° with a meat thermometer.
When it's done, you can just remove it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes while you finish prepping the rest of your meal.
WHAT FOODS ARE GOOD TO PAIR WITH MEATLOAF?
Normally, I'd say to serve meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Yum! Unfortunately, mashed potatoes are definitely not low carb.
So you might want to go with a better option like maybe a colorful salad, green beans, or broccoli. And remember, there's cauliflower in the meatloaf, so you've already got a few hidden veggies.
CAN I FREEZE MEATLOAF?
Yes, you can. Meatloaf would make an excellent freezer meal or make ahead meal.
MORE DINNER IDEAS WITH GROUND BEEF AND/OR CAULIFLOWER:
Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
Baked Italian Cauliflower Meatballs – which you can pair with Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti.
Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice
Sausage and Chicken Instant Pot Casserole
KITCHEN TOOLS YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE THIS EASY MEATLOAF RECIPE:
13″x9″ casserole or baking dish – I love using this size baking dish to make a big 2-pound meatloaf that will stretch to give our family of 5 more than one meal.
Large mixing bowl – This makes it easy to just dump in all the ingredients and start mixing.
Meat thermometer – We use ours all the time; it really helps to tell if the meat has come to temp and is fully cooked.
LOW CARB MEATLOAF RECIPE
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Low Carb Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup onion minced
- 1 cup cauliflower rice steamed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon BBQ Seasoning *
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° and spray a 13"x9" baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground beef, eggs, minced onion, and cauliflower rice.
- Sprinkle in the seasonings, including the salt, black pepper, seasoning salt, and BBQ seasoning; and mix together well.
- Add the meatloaf mixture to the prepared baking dish, and pat together into a loaf.
- Bake at 350° for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 160° with a meat thermometer.
- When the meatloaf has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for just a few minutes while you finish prepping the rest of your meal.
- Serve with your favorite sides** and enjoy!
I have a suggestion for those who can’t afford or are reluctant to shell out the big bucks for 90% lean ground beef:
I used 80/20 beef and place (cheap) sliced bread in the bottom of my pan. The bread soaks up the grease and I can simply discard it. Yes, there’s some shrinkage, but 80/20 beef is about half the price of 90/10, so think about it.
Oh, and I’d add maybe 1/2 teaspoon of marjoram to the meatloaf.
Thank You for the helpful tip, Wayne!
I put bacon on top of the meatloaf…………it is good that way………
That’s a great idea, Bette! That’s actually exactly the way my mom has always made meatloaf. Very good!
This is silly. Need answer fast gett7 ready to make recipe. Do you steam the cailiflour first.or open bag just add to meatloaf.
It should already be steamed.
Do you let it cool before adding it to meat mixture ?
Christine, everything is mixed together in one bowl in this recipe. Use raw meat and thaw it if it’s frozen. Just throw everything in with it.