Warm, comforting, and healthy meatloaf stuffed with 2 sweet, caramelized onions and topped with bubbly gruyere cheese. This is the ultimate in comfort food, yet still low in calories and fat, and packed with protein!
Can we just talk about beef for a second? I mean, not too much, because honestly it’s not nearly as interesting as something like FRO YO, but I do want to talk about how it can, in my opinion, be a lot healthier than people think. When I started my weight loss journey, one of the first things I did (after cutting out fast food) was cut out red meat. I don’t want to go into toooo much detail here, but I don’t “cut out” foods anymore; however, it was incredibly beneficial in the beginning when I was literally learning how to eat healthily.
For years, I was very strict and I would only consume ground turkey, but one day I read the nutrition label of my lean ground turkey and compared it to lean ground beef. They were practically identical. If you choose 99% lean ground turkey breast, it is the leanest and the healthiest, but 96% lean ground beef is pretty great too. If you buy ground turkey, it usually comes in several varieties with the leanest being 93% and 99%.
- 93% lean ground turkey has 170 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, and 21 grams of protein per serving.
- 99% lean ground turkey breast has 120 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, .5 grams of saturated fat and 26 grams of protein per serving.
- 96% lean ground beef has 140 calories, 4 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat and 24 grams of protein per serving.
So, yes, ground turkey breast is clearly the healthiest, (especially if you compare it to the 80% lean ground beef I see most often at the store that contains 290 calories, 23 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat and 19 grams of protein per serving) but they’re all great options, and ground turkey breast can be expensive, and many people consider it dry. I love it, and I think it works great for tacos and meat sauce, but for things like burgers and meatloaf, I think extra lean ground beef is the way to go.
So my point is, not all red meat is “bad” and not all turkey is “good”. I won’t bore you with more numbers, but check that nutrition label of the less expensive 85% lean ground turkey. Okay, enough nutrition talk, let’s talk about this meatloaf because it is bordering on life changing. First of all, please tell me you love French onion soup as much as I do??? Sweet caramelized onions in a savory beef broth with tons of bread and cheese overflowing the top of the bowl–what’s not to love?
This dish takes all of the best aspects of French onion soup and puts them together in a healthy, hearty meatloaf. It is FILLED with 2 whole onions worth of caramelized onions, bound by oats instead of crusty bread (I promise you can’t even taste them!), and topped off with melty, bubbling gruyere cheese. It’s also incredibly easy (and fun!) to assemble, making it perfect for any time!
Warm, comforting, and healthy meatloaf stuffed with 2 sweet, caramelized onions and topped with bubbly gruyere cheese. This is the ultimate in comfort food, yet still low in calories and fat, and packed with protein!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large sweet onions, sliced
- salt and pepper
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup raw oats (if you care about that sort of thing, use gluten-free oats)
- 1 lb 96% lean ground beef (if I haven't sold you on the beef thing, ground turkey works too 😉 )
- 2-3 oz gruyere cheese, sliced or freshly shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with tin foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large pan, cook garlic and onions in olive oil and balsamic vinegar over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft and caramelized, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together egg whites, almond milk and beed broth in a large bowl. When onions have finished cooking, remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes, then add onions, oats and beef to the egg white mixtures. Add salt and pepper if desired (I didn't). Use your hands to incorporate all ingredients until combined. You don't need to overmix. The mixture may appear liquidy at first, but just keep lightly tossing with your hands, and it will come together.
- Transfer to prepared loaf pan, and cook for 50-60 minutes until cooked throughout. Remove tinfoil from pan and transfer to a baking sheet. Gently remove tin foil from the sides of your meatloaf, and flatten onto baking sheet (this allows the cheese to ooze down). Top with cheese. Turn your oven to broil and cook for and additional 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted, browned and bubbly to your liking. Let rest for 5 minutes, then enjoy.
That looks crazy sinful yet delicious! It’s funny – I remember when meatloaf was considered “gross” – Well YOU certainly changed those ideas!!
Wow! This looks incredible. I wish my husband liked onions. :0
I agree that beef can be healthful when eaten (in my opinion, like all meat) in moderation. Especially if you eat organic, grass-fed beef. 🙂
WOW Ari. Can you make this when you come over?? Salted Caramel Cupcakes for dessert! My boyfriend would LOVE this meatloaf. ground turkey breast definitely expensive. I love it though!
Done! Sounds like the most perfect meal ever. I still cannot get over those cupcakes! I love ground turkey too, and I use it most of the time, but I’ve really loved figuring out that there is a healthy alternative too 🙂
would it work if I omit the cheese as I do want to make and keep the meatloaf in the freezer so that I can have them as leftover suppers over the next few days?
Did I miss where the vinegar comes in?
Can you substitute regular milk for along milk?
Well another recipe the doesn’t tell the sugar! Us diabetics really need to know this!PLEASE keep is on mine !
It would be SO much better if you had a “PRINT” option
Hi Judy, I’ve slowly been chipping away at reformatting all of my old recipes into my current plug in that includes a print option. This one has been updated, so feel free to print away! Thanks for the input!
How can we print out the recipes?
I planned to make this tomorrow for dinner, yet there are a couple of questions that people posted, that I wanted the answers to, yet I can’t find a place where you answer these questions. 1. Can you substitute regular milk for the almond milk and 2. where does the balsamic vinegar get put in? I noticed the comments were from over a year ago, so perhaps you are not longer doing these recipes???
sorry, re read directions for the third time and noticed where the balsamic comes in.
It’s your kitchen, you can do whatever you’d like! Any milk should be fine. I use almond milk for the lower calorie content and preferred flavor for general use.
Usually don’t comment on recipes, but this had to be one of my all time favorites. I will be making this again! Thank you so much for sharing!
Wow, thanks Deb! I’m so glad to hear it–it’s one of my favorites too!
How many calories per serving?
Hi Cindy, I don’t count calories, but you can easily use an online recipe calculator like this one. Have a great day!
I did! It’s a perfect recipe! Yummi. Thanks to share. Hug from Brasil
This was easy to make and truly delicious! I added about a tablespoon of lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce . Will definitely make again !