In revisiting this classic, we put the meat back in the “loaf” by using ultra-lean ground beef and turkey. With fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs and beer-simmered sweet onions, you’ll never notice the missing fat.

Makes 8 servings, one 1-inch slice each

ACTIVE TIME: 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 2 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped (2 cups)
1 12-ounce bottle dark or amber beer
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds 95%-lean ground beef
1 1/4 pounds 93%-lean ground turkey
1 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs (see Tip)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in beer and increase heat to high. Bring to a vigorous boil; cook until the liquid is quite syrupy and the mixture reduces to about 3/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in thyme, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Add beef, turkey, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg and egg white to the onion mixture. With clean hands, mix thoroughly and transfer to the prepared pan.
4. Bake the meatloaf until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F when inserted into the center, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes; drain accumulated liquid from the pan and slice.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 259 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 105 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 2 g fiber; 339 mg sodium; 51 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Zinc (20% daily value), Iron (15% dv).
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 4 lean meat

TIP: Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup crumbs.

This is absolutely my favorite meatloaf. The beer, onions and herbs make it super-savory. My kids love it, and the leftovers are even better.

A. Depot

I love it, my family loves it, and even Grandpa who flat out refuses to eat anything good for you- he liked it, too!

Anonymous, San Antonio, TX

Waaaay too much thyme! This had a good consistency, but all we could taste was the thyme.

Anonymous, Porltand, OR

Yummy! This is fabulous! I added some mushrooms while sauteing the onions, and used red wine instead of beer. This is a wonderful recipe!

Anonymous, FL

Nice consistency, but way too bland. Delicious with gobs of French mustard.

Anonymous, Mineral Wells, TX

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe! It's delicious and easy to make, too.

, Ann Arbor, MI

Tasted wonderful, but had a little trouble sticking together, and I burned the onions the first time because of using little oil. My husband is a chef and he recommended turning the heat down on the oil a little and give the onions a little longer to cook.

Alyssa, Phoenix, AZ

I loved this recipe! The combination of ground turkey breast and ground chuck kept the meatloaf adequately moist. I disagree with the "overwhelming thyme taste" comment. Substituted Italian-style panko bread crumbs for fresh. Could definitely taste the fresh parsley. I served this with the buttermilk mashed potatoes recipe from this website. Superb! Had some fat-free half-and-half on hand that I sub'd for the buttermilk. A very memorable meal.

alamobecky, Alamo, CA

Excellent! This is my standard meat loaf recipe now. Everyone wants only this one. However I use balsamic vinegar instead of beer, only lean beef and pour ketchup on top to keep it moist. The amount of thyme I find is fine but do allow the onions to carmelize.

Anonymous

I'm SOLD! I am not a huge fan of meatloaf & neither is most of my family. My 8 year old daughter asked me to make it again because she loved it! We all did. This is one meatloaf that will be a regular on my dinner menu. Thanks!

Ann Knowles, Lititz, PA

I made the Blue Ribbon meatloaf last night, it is very good, however, I added worschestshire(sp?) sauce and marjoram instead of thyme (out of thyme). I highly recommend this recipe, I also cooked it about 20 minutes longer than suggested.

Carrie, Hazel Park, MI

I made it last night with the whole wheat panko crumbs instead of bread crumbs, added lots of freshly ground pepper but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. I did cook down the beer and onions until the liquid was gone. I did not find the thyme overpowering. I do think the extra pepper really helped. In fact, it was the best meatloaf ever! I am on a high protein diet and cut it into 6 oz slices for future dinners. It was so good that the next day, I had a slice for lunch!

Jane, East Greenwich, RI

Good, but a little dry. I cooked mine in the oven for the full hour and 20 minutes. It would have been done in an hour.

Amanda, Atlanta, GA

This was fabulous. I made the following changes: used 2 eggs instead of 1 egg and one eggwhite. (I'm lazy and hate to waste food.) Used 1 C pepperidge farm stuffing mix in place of breadcrumbs. Left out the thyme (which doesn't belong in real meatloaf [to me]). Replaced the beer with 1/4 C balsamic vinegar and most of a small can of chicken broth, used the rest of the chicken broth in the breadcrumbs. Put barbecue sauce over the top of the meatloaf, cooked it covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for another 30 minutes in a 9x13 rectangular pan.

Megan Collins, Naalehu, H

Made the Blue Ribbon meatloaf exactly as the directions said. It was wonderful and the beer added the richest flavor. It was definitely the absolute best meatloaf I have had. I served mashed potatoes and green peas. My kids liked it very much.

Linda R., Carmel, IN

Made this last night - my husband hated it and we're used to eating healthy food. The flavour was okay but it was very very dry and I followed the recipe exactly. I think I will try it again but use less or no turkey, just stick to lean beef.

Abi, Richmond, IL

My husband and I loved it. It was very moist. The best meatloaf I have ever made!

Emily, Leander, TX

When I told my husband that I tried a new meatloaf recipe for dinner he said, "why do you mess with perfection?" But, he liked this one better than my usual recipe! I did not. It's good but even though I used about half the amount of thyme called for, it was too much for me. I couldn't taste the beer at all. I think I am going to use the 'half ground turkey, half ground beef' idea in my old recipe and see how that works. Thanks!

Sarah, Rhinelander, WI

This was great, I didn't have any beer so I used balsamic. It was delicious! I also used whole wheat crackers instead of bread crumbs, and dryed parsley and just about 1/2 t. thyme. I was really happy with it. Next time I try it, I'm going to add some pureed spinach to the skilled with the onion mixture. I do that with my regular meatloaf and it's great!

Lindsey, Salt Lake City, UT

I have made this meatloaf several times, and I love it. It is so easy to prepare, and it turns out moist and delicious. I use fresh thyme and mix it with my stand mixer, and I sometimes substitute a zucchini for the parsley.

Jamie, Ann Arbor, MI

I have made this meatloaf several times, and I love it. It is so easy to prepare, and it turns out moist and delicious. I use fresh thyme and mix it with my stand mixer, and I sometimes substitute a zucchini for the parsley.

Jamie, Ann Arbor, MI

Very good! When I cook my meatloaf I put 2 pieces of loaf bread under it to absorb the grease that cooks out. Then throw the bread away after I remove the meatloaf from the pan.

Eljay, Conyers, GA

We did it all with ground turkey and eliminated the ground beef. Also, we used a 64 calorie light beer, and used egg beaters to cut fat, calories, sodium, etc. Turned out excellent. Even our three finicky children (10, 7, and 6) loved it. May not be for everyone, but we're sold on this recipe now!

Bill Reynolds, Eureka, CA