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Give a fun Asian twist to a classic comfort food dish with this gluten free and paleo Asian Meatloaf. It’s crazy easy to make yet so full of flavor!
Growing up in a Korean household, meatloaf wasn’t something we ate in our home. I somehow first learned about it in college, and I remember being completely grossed out at the concept. “It’s like a loaf of bread… but with meat??? Ew…” And then I tried it at a local restaurant in Brooklyn and it completely changed my mind. It was delicious, comforting, and packed with flavor, and it surprised me in the best way.
Ever since, I’ve been making various gluten free versions at home, especially when there are no protein sources other than ground meat in the fridge. This Paleo Asian Meatloaf recipe was inspired by ALL the Korean cooking I’ve been doing for the Korean Paleo Cookbook (finally available for pre-order!), and it’s one of my favorite versions yet!
As with all meatloafs (meatloaves?), the instructions are super simple. Mix meat, binder (an egg, in this case), and veggies together and bake them in a delicious, flavorful ketchup base sauce. In this recipe, you’ll find that the sauce is heavy on the coconut aminos to bring out the umami Asian flavor and it actually goes surprisingly well with a bit of ketchup mixed in there.
If you end up having leftovers, take the slices of the meatloaf and pan fry them in a little bit of oil for a few minutes on both sides. This will create a slight char and moisten up the meat again and they’ll taste as good as new! So delicious with some veggies and rice on the side. It’s an easy weeknight dinner since most of the work is done in the oven so you can enjoy that time doing other more important things, and you’ll have a tasty, filling meal at the end of it.
Paleo Asian Meatloaf
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 lb ground beef
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
"Soy" Glaze
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp paleo ketchup, or Whole30-friendly ketchup if you are on a sugar detox
- 1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients for the meatloaf in a large bowl, and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9x5 loaf pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- While the meatloaf is baking, stir together "soy" glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
- Once the meatloaf is done cooking, remove from the oven and carefully tilt it over the sink to pour out the juice that has cooked out of the meat.
- Pour the glaze over the meat, spreading it out with a spatula, and bake in the oven for 10 more minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped green onions and let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing them to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Do you think this recipe could be adapted for use in the Instant Pot? Just saw another meatball recipe for the IP here on your blog.
It is summer in Florida. The thought of using my oven shuts me down. 🫣🙃
Ideas? Suggestions?
Thank you!
That should work! You can use the same cook time. But you do need extra liquid or sauce so the Instant Pot can come to pressure so keep that in mind.
This is so flavorful! I have made it several times already and can’t get enough of it. I make this into meatballs instead of meatloaf so that it cooks faster. Glad to have found this!
Jean Choi, I have made this meatloaf multiple times, and it has always been delicious! Thank you for the unique twist on a classic!
HelloSunshine, I would like to try this recipe as meatballs also. How did you adjust the cook time?
Thanks!
My husband LOVED this! We were stuck at home with sick kids on his birthday and I made this for him. He said that it was his FAVORITE meatloaf ever. Thank you! 🙂
I was nervous to try this but this is SO DELICIOUS! I used ground chicken instead of beef and it turned out great. I actually love meatloaf and this is a great twist on a classic favorite. It’s savory and rich and so easy to make! It took five minutes to mix up and while it was baking I fixed up a sweet potato and red onion side dish.
Thank you so much! I bet it tasted wonderful with sweet potatoes. So glad you enjoyed it!
I never could figure out why folks give 5 Stars to a recipe that only sounds delicious and they’re looking forward to trying it. It certainly sounds delicious but I did make this tonight and followed recipe exactly except for omitting the fish sauce.
Absolutely tasteless and dry. The glaze was very thin and poured like water. I used a lean ground beef that made plenty of juice (grease) I would suggest adding the ketchup to the beef mixture or something to help with the moistness. Sorry
So sorry it came out dry! I would definitely use regular ground beef and not lean for meatloaf for that juicy flavor. Even though the lean makes juice, there’s definitely a difference in texture between the 2. And if you omit fish sauce, make sure to replace that amount with equal amount of coconut aminos to replace the moisture.
Any ideas for a binder instead of eggs since I’m intolerant? Chia egg?
Hmm, I never tried using chia egg for this recipe so I’m not sure. I think you can omit the egg altogether and it’ll turn out okay. It won’t bind as well, but it’ll still bind.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much.
Wonderful flavors!