AIP Meatloaf with Hidden Liver and Veggies
While most of us seem to acknowledge offal (organ meat) is some of the most nutrient dense food available many of us have a hard time tricking ourselves in to eating it. Beef liver is a very affordable and easily overlooked item we should all be adding to our diet. I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of mousse or pate, but even my kids and husband will make short work of a batch of this meatloaf, which is loaded with beef liver and an extra serving of vegetables. Bonus nutrition, lower cost, allll the flavor. Definitely on repeat around these parts, freezes well too and is excellent for meal prep as a loaf or individual meatballs.
Get out your food processor for fastest and easiest preparation. I don’t like working with raw liver and find that it is more manageable when partially frozen. I buy it from the butcher this way and will keep it frozen until I am ready to cook with it. A few minutes out of the freezer it will soften enough to be finely cut into chunks which easily mince in the food processor—though do it last, after the veggies if the smell gets to you. I’d much rather have a little raw veg in the meat than smell cooking liver when I’m sweating the veg down. You do you, m’kay.
This recipe was featured along with some other greats on Phoenix Helix recipe roundtable #300! Check it out here
Interested in an adaptation for the Instant Pot(InstaPot) keep reading below the main recipe instructions! While I prefer the caramelization and depth of flavor that is achieved by cooking the loaf in the oven sometimes just eating real food quickly takes precedent. Especially before the hangries kick in and I start making less than stellar food choices.
AIP Meatloaf (hidden liver and veggies)
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced (do this first, you’ll thank me later)
1 Large Carrot, grated or minced
1 Medium Yellow Onion, minced
1/2 lb Mushrooms ( Crimini or Shiitaki are great!) minced
1 T Olive Oil
1/4-1/2 lb Grass-fed beef liver, minced
2 t Fresh Thyme, Removed from stems
1t Salt (+1/2 t ground black pepper *reintro)
2 T Italian parsley, Finely chopped
1/2 lb Ground Beef (or other “red” meat)
1/2 lb Ground Pork (or other “white” meat)
1/4 cup Cassava Flour (Prefer Otto’s Naturals) (-or- 1 whole egg *reintro)
1 cup Faux-Mato sauce, divided
6 Nitrate/Sugar free Bacon Strips, halved
Crush/Mince the garlic and set it aside at least 5-10 minutes, breaking the cell walls in garlic sets off an enzymatic reaction transforming Alliin to Allicin, and thus unleashing its full health potential.
Heat Olive oil in Saute pan, in the work bowl of food processor add chunks of peeled carrot and pulse until you’ve achieved a pretty fine dice, add to saute pan. Repeat for Onions and Mushrooms. Add half of the salt (and pepper *reintroduction) and continue stirring over medium heat until Mushrooms have released their moisture and vegetables have started to caramelize. Turn off heat, let cool to room temp. Can be completed in advance and refrigerated also.
Add cubes of liver to the food processor bowl and pulse until it is very finely minced. Combine with ground meat in medium mixing bowl. Add cooled veggies, 1/2 cup of the Faux-Mato Sauce, herbs and remaining salt (and pepper) Combine well. Add Cassava Flour (or Egg) and combine thoroughly.
Turn out meat mixture on to parchment lined baking sheet and use your hands to pat the meat into a loaf roughly 1 inch deep and as wide as your bacon strips (typically about 5-6 inches). Spread remaining 1/2 cup of Faux-Mato Sauce over the top of the meat mixture and shingle the top of the loaf with bacon strips. Bake in a 350 F oven for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Temperature should read 150+ in the middle of the loaf, doneness can also be assumed when the loaf is firm to the touch in the center and the bacon appears cooked through. If the Bacon seems to be cooking too quickly, as can happen with thinner cuts of bacon, simply tent the loaf halfway through cooking with foil.
Instant Pot/InstaPot instructions as promised!
You’ll need a round pyrex 7 cup container and IP cooking rack. The 7 cup bowl fits in my 6 qt IP with room to circulate. Add Meat mixture to 7 cup bowl, add 1/2 cup water and rack to IP, carefully lower in bowl of meatloaf, cook manual for 25 mins and natural release. Alternately, since we like to have our meatloaf with mashed sweet potatoes, you can put them in the bottom of the IP in very large slices along with 1/2 cup of chicken stock, add the rack and get it as level as possible, ensuring the meat is not too close to the top of the pot. Sweet potatoes can remain on the large side as the cooking time is rather long. Once pressure has released and you can open pot, carefully remove meatloaf (grippy silicone hot pads work great or try this silicone sling for easier removal) and mash the sweet potatoes if you’ve got em.