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Mediterranean Meatloaf

November 5, 2014 · by Ari ·

Greek Lamb Meatloaf: Greek gyro meats American meatloaf in this incredible comfort food mash-up! {gf}


Hearty, comforting mediterranean lamb meatloaf stuffed with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and feta cheese, then topped with tzatziki, olives and more! A traditional gyro + Greek salad meet meatloaf in this perfect family dinner.

 

Greek Lamb Meatloaf: Greek gyro meats American meatloaf in this incredible comfort food mash-up! {gf}

Hiiii! I’m back from New York. And I made you a meatloaf. Here she is, dressed up in all her glory. For those of you that care about that kinda thing, I am totally planning on sharing every single detail of my trip, and especially the marathon. But for those of you who are just here for the food, it’s cool. Let’s chat about meatloaf.

Greek Lamb Meatloaf: Greek gyro meats American meatloaf in this incredible comfort food mash-up! {gf}

People get very opinionated about lamb. I think one of the rudest comments I ever received on social media was when I posted my Greek Lamb Burgers, and someone called me a “sick f*@$”. I was actually a little hesitant to post an other lamb recipe, but I truly love it, and with over 82,000 family owned sheep operations in the US, lamb is local and available year round. It’s also super tender, and the bold flavor lends itself to so many cuisines. My favorite is Greek / Mediterranean.

Greek Lamb Meatloaf: Greek gyro meats American meatloaf in this incredible comfort food mash-up! {gf}

This baby is kind of like a gyro + a Greek salad + meatloaf, all wrapped up in one bright, colorful little package. It starts off with ground lamb mixed with caramelized red onion, roasted red pepper, loads of feta cheese, and the normal suspects to hold everything together. Except I don’t use bread crumbs or saltines; instead I use quick oats as a great, healthier, gluten-free (make sure you purchase certified gluten-free if necessary) option.

Greek Lamb Meatloaf: Greek gyro meats American meatloaf in this incredible comfort food mash-up! {gf}

Then we bake it all up, smother it with tzatziki and top it all off with roasted red pepper, more caramelized onions, black (or kalamata–they’re not my favorite…) olives, fresh parsley and even more feta. This is one filling dinner! It’s not the leanest, but feel free to use a low feta, and you can even make your own tzatziki using nonfat Greek yogurt. It’s packed with real, make-you-feel-full ingredients, and especially great when paired with a huge Greek salad or side of veggies.

Print
Mediterranian Meatloaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Yield: 1/6 meatloaf

Serving Size: 6

Mediterranian Meatloaf

Hearty, comforting lamb meatloaf stuffed with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and feta cheese, then topped with tzatziki, olives and more! A traditional gyro + Greek salad meet meatloaf in this perfect family dinner.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1/2 cut quick cooking oats*
  • 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (store bought, or make your own!)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • pinch thyme
  • pinch each salt and pepper
  • For serving:
  • tzatziki
  • extra feta
  • extra roasted red pepper
  • remaining caramelized onion
  • olives
  • fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with tin foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large pan, cook garlic and onions in olive oil and balsamic vinegar over medium-low heat until soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together egg whites and almond milk in a large bowl. When onions have finished cooking, remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Add lamb, oats, red peppers, feta, thyme, salt, pepper and half the caramelized onions (reserve the other half for topping) to the egg white mixture. Use your hands to incorporate all ingredients until combined. You don't need to over mix. The mixture may appear liquidy at first, but just keep lightly tossing with your hands, and it will come together.
  4. Transfer to prepared loaf pan, and cook for 50-60 minutes until cooked throughout. Remove and top with desired toppings. Serve immediately. Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5-7 days.
3.1
https://arismenu.com/mediterranean-meatloaf/

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Filed Under: Dinner, Entree, Gluten-free, Low Carb · Tagged: feta, greek, lamb, lamb meatloaf, meatloaf, mediterranean, roasted red peppers

French Onion Meatloaf

January 9, 2013 · by Ari ·

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!

French Onion Meatloaf #glutenfree

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.

French Onion Meatloaf #glutenfree

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.

French Onion Meatloaf #glutenfree

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?

French Onion Meatloaf #glutenfree

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!

Print
French Onion Meatloaf

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Yield: 6 servings

French Onion Meatloaf

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

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with tin foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
3.1
https://arismenu.com/french-onion-meatloaf/

Filed Under: Entree, Gluten-free, Low Carb, Popular Posts · Tagged: beef, cheese, dinner, french onion, gluten free, meatloaf, onion, recipe

Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

May 20, 2012 · by Ari ·

I am such a sucker for anything with buffalo sauce.

I guess I am just a person who loves strong flavors. Spicy food, sharp cheeses, anything really with bold flavors. I do not like plain pasta with olive oil. I am easily bored in life and food, so I need flavors that do a little performance for my taste buds. Is that weird?

Wait. Don’t answer that. I already know I’m weird. Anyway, I’ve never made meatloaf with chicken before. In fact, I’ve never even used ground chicken until now. It’s pretty awesome, and opens up a lot of flavor combinations! You know I love my ground turkey, but who ever heard of buffalo turkey? That doesn’t sound nearly as cool.

I made kale with it. I’m sure you’re shocked.

This meatloaf was full of bold buffalo flavor, and was different than any type I’ve ever tasted! I wonder just how many more foods I can put buffalo sauce in? 😉

Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

yield 5 servings

  • 1 1/4 lb lean ground chicken
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
  • 2/3 cup raw oats
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • generous pinch ground pepper

For the buffalo ranch sauce:

  • 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
  • 2 tsp ranch seasoning

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a medium loaf pan with tin foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together egg substitute, almond milk, buffalo sauce, and pepper. Mix in onion and oats.
  3. Add meat **this is the fun part!!** and use your hands to thoroughly combine.
  4. Transfer meet to prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, until cooked throughout.
  5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients.
  6. Serve meatloaf topped with buffalo ranch sauce.

Filed Under: Entree, Gluten-free · Tagged: buffalo, chicken, dinner, meatloaf, recipe

Barbecue Ranch Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

January 9, 2012 · by Ari ·

You know those barbecue bacon cheeseburgers that you can order at all those greasy hamburger restaurants, and then you smother ranch all over it and it’s even more delicious? This is like that. Only healthy 😉

When I was in NYC, we ate at a restaurant called Chelsea Grill per Mac’s suggestion. On the menu they had “Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf”. Now, I am not the type of person that orders that at a restaurant. Lots of healthy eating folks could, but knowing I could make it so much healthier at home would stress me out. So instead, I did just that and oh my gosh, it was so amazing. I would make it again and again and again. The cheese on top got the perfect amount of melty and the bacon on top got perfectly crispy. It was just like the type of cowboy burger you’d order at a restaurant. In fact, if you made it as a burger, it would also be healthy and delicious!

I made 2 meatloaves for 5 peoples plus roasted sweet potatoes and there wasn’t a single bite left at the end of the night. I was totally looking forward to leftovers this week, but I’ll take the lack thereof as a compliment about my awesome cooking!

Barbecue Ranch Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

yield 4-6 servings

  • 1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef/turkey (at least 93% lean)
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2/3 cup raw oats
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • generous pinch each of salt, garlic pepper, and your favorite burger seasoning
  • dash ranch reasoning
  • 1/4-1/3 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3 slices center cut or turkey bacon

For the sauce:

  • 3/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • 3-4 tbs barbecue sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp ranch seasoning

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with nonstick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together egg substitute, almond milk, and seasonings. Mix in onion and oats.
  3. Add meat **this is the fun part!!** and use your hands to thoroughly combine. (Note: you may add the cheese at this time if you wish. I didn’t, but I imagine it would be especially delicious if you mixed it in and put it on top 🙂 )
  4. Using your hands, remove meat mixture from bowl and make a loaf shape on your prepared cookie sheet.
  5. Top with cheese, then bacon slices.
  6. Bake for 1 hour, or until cooked throughout.
  7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients. Heat in microwave for 45-60 seconds when meat if ready.
  8. Serve meatloaf and top with barbecue ranch sauce.

To be fair, I made 2 different kinds of meatloaf. Obviously, this is the one on the right 😉

I discovered through the picture process that meatloaf is, in fact, kind of an ugly food. Sorry about that. But I promise you it tastes delicious!

Filed Under: Entree, Gluten-free · Tagged: bacon, barbecue, cheese, meatloaf, ranch, recipe

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