Premium Meatloaf with Homemade Mac n Cheese: a Comfort Meal
Two recipes made for each other combine for an ultimate comfort meal.
I created this recipe, along with the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Mac ‘n Cheese about a week after my wife got home from a week in the hospital.. We were both exhausted and badly in need of something that didn’t come from a hospital dietary department or delivered to house via DoorDash. We needed comfort food and I can think of no other two foods that say comfort like meatloaf with macaroni and cheese. With the 2024 migration of Kitchen Tapestry to Squarespace, these two recipes have been separated for content simplicity, but are both included in this post below. There are a few reasons why I consider this meatloaf recipe “Premium.” First, I use a 50/50 blend of beef and veal. Secondly, I use heavy cream as a binding agent, not eggs. Thirdly, I wrap the meatloaf in pancetta, known as Italian bacon.
Pancetta
Largely unavailable to the American market just a couple of decades ago, Pancetta is now more or less a staple at most urban supermarkets. The largest traditional grocery store chain the United States, Kroger (outclassed only by Walmart), even has their own proprietary brand of Pancetta under their Private Selection label.
Like American bacon, Pancetta comes from the pork belly, but unlike American bacon, Pancetta is salt cured, not smoked, and as such it can be eaten without cooking. It generally is sold one of three ways: Arrotolota, Cubetti and Stessa.
Pancetta Arrotolota, or rolled, is the better known and most widely available. The pork belly is rolled after being salted and aged in this loaf state. It is usually sold thinly sliced, which is what this recipe calls for.
Pancetta Cubetti is, as the name implies, diced into small cubes and is used in many Kitchen Tapestry recipes, like Sautéed Belgian Endive with Pancetta & Crème Fraîche, Braised Short Ribs in Wine & Pancetta, and My Version of Fettuccine Carbonara.
Pancetta Stessa is sometimes called Affumicata because it is both salt and smoke cured, and is sold in rashers like American bacon. It is the least know in this country and not widely available except in specialty markets.
Taking a page from the Pioneer Woman website, I cook my meatloaf on a broiler pan. Forget so-called meatloaf pans. Cooking the meatloaf on the top rack of the broiler pan, allowing the grease to drip away during cooking process mades this an easy preparation and clean-up task.
Premium Meatloaf with Homemade Mac n Cheese: a Comfort Meal
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground 80/20 beef
- 1 lb ground veal
- 1 medium onion, finely diced or grated in a food processor
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup ketchup (like, Hunt's)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp English powdered mustard (like, Coleman's)
- 1/2 cup chicken stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup dried parsley
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (like, Kraft)
- 2/3 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs (like, Progresso)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 8 thin slices Pancetta Arrotolota (like, Private Selection)
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
- Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Mac 'n Cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Combine half the ketchup with the cider vinegar, brown sugar and powdered mustard, mix well and set aside.
- Sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until they are translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté a minute more.
- In a large mixing bowl, crumble the ground beef and veal using your hands. It helps if your hands are wet.
- To the meat, add the sautéed onion and garlic, the remaining ketchup, dried parsley, chicken stock, heavy cream, black and cayenne pepper, Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Use your hands to mix all of this together well. Your meat mixture should be cohesive and moist, but not runny.
- On a broiler pan that has been liberally sprayed with the non-stick cooking spray, lay out the meat mixture and form into a loaf. It should roundly 10" long, 4-5" wide and about 2" high.
- Lay the slices of Pancetta over the top and sides of the loaf, overlapping them slightly and tucking them under the loaf as you go.
- Slather the ketchup mixture containing the cider, brown sugar and ground mustard over the entire top and sides of the meatloaf.
- Cook 1 hour and allow the loaf to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Serve with the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Mac 'n Cheese on the side.
Mac 'n Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente according to package directions
- 1 lb Velveeta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp powdered English mustard (like, Coleman's)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
- 1 tsp paprika
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
- In a sauce pan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and using a whisk mix well until you form a roux.
- Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly, until all has been incorporated. Allow the mixture to bubble for a few seconds. You have now made a Bechamel Sauce.
- Cut the brick of Velveeta into 1-2 inch cubes. Add three to four cubes at a time to the Bechamel Sauce stirring constantly and allowing them to melt before adding more cubes. Continue until all Velveeta has been melted into the sauce. Add the powered mustard, black pepper, cayenne pepper and parsley, and then remove from the heat.
- Add the sauce to the macaroni in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Turn the macaroni and cheese out into a baking dish that has been treated with non-cooking spray.
- Level out the top of the casserole, and lay on an even layer of the grated cheddar cheese.
- Sprinkle the paprika and parsley on top of the cheddar and bake for 30-40 minutes. It should be bubbly and slightly browned on top.
Notes
- Note that in high altitudes above 5,000 feet, water boils at a slightly lower temperature and therefore is absorbed by the pasta at a slightly slower pace than at sea level. If above 5,000 feet, add two minutes to the cooking time.