Paleo Meatloaf With Bacon & Balsamic Onions

This savoury, hearty paleo meatloaf is made with the addition of balsamic fried onions, fibre rich carrots and a bit of bacon for extra magic. Serve with a side of ketchup or mustard! 


Paleo Meatloaf With Bacon & Balsamic Onions
 

My Paleo Bacon Meatloaf

I kid you not, I have had this paleo meatloaf recipe on my to-do list for a long time. In fact, I think I took the photos nearly a year ago. This week I got a serious craving for tasty meatloaf and I remembered that I never got around to sharing my version with you.

There are lots of paleo meatloaf recipes around, but I make mine with a couple of sneaky ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic onions for extra flavour. I also like to add some finely diced chicken livers for extra nutrients, but this is completely optional and you can easily use all ground beef.

How To Make My Paleo Meatloaf

Paleo Meatloaf Ingredients

Instead of using eggs, I add mayonnaise to the mix. The creamy combination of eggs and oil work well as a binder and to add moisture to the meat. If you’re a bit skeptical, feel free to use 2 eggs instead.

I know that most meatloafs are smothered in tomato sauce/ketchup over the top but I prefer to wrap mine with bacon and bake until crisp. I serve a paleo friendly ketchup on the side instead.

Paleo Meatloaf With Bacon

Quick note about wrapping the meatloaf with bacon. See the image below for how to line the loaf tin with bacon strips, so that they overlap over the top. I only had 5 rashers, so I have some gaps but if you use 7-8 pieces or as many as you need to line up your pan, you will have a much tighter package, so to speak.

Wrapping bacon in a meatloaf pan

For the ketchup, you can either make a batch of a paleo and Whole30 friendly tomato sauce yourself or you can find a sugar-free or naturally sweetened and gluten-free version in a health food store or online. I know Amazon has a few options like this one or this one.

 
Paleo Meatloaf With Bacon & Balsamic Onions

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Paleo Meatloaf With Bacon & Balsamic Onions

Paleo Meatloaf With Bacon & Balsamic Onions

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Author: Irena Macri | Eat Drink Paleo
Servings: 6
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Print Pin Save
4.89 from 9 votes
Calories: 529kcal
This savoury, hearty paleo meatloaf is made with the addition of balsamic fried onions, fibre rich carrots and a bit of bacon for extra magic. Serve with a side of ketchup or mustard! 

Ingredients 

  • Coconut oil or olive oil for greasing

For the onions

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
  • 1 large white onion peeled and finely diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

For the rest of the meatloaf

  • 6-8 rashers bacon rind removed (I only had 5 pieces, but please use more to line up the whole pan)
  • 1 medium carrot grated
  • 700 g beef mince 1.5 lbs. grass-fed
  • 150-200 g chicken livers 5 oz., optional, you can instead use 850-900 g / 1.8 lbs. of beef mince alone
  • 3 tablespoons almond meal or almond flour, omit for a nut-free version
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise heaped; alternatively, 2 eggs + 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic grated or minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes or semi-dried tomatoes, chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180° C / 355° F. Grease a medium loaf tin (about 9 x 5-in or 8.5 x 4.5-in) with a little coconut oil and set aside.
  • Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and sauté for 7-8 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir for a minute, until slightly caramelised.
  • Line the loaf tin with bacon rashers overlapping them over the edges in an alternate way as you go (see photo). You can reserve a couple of rashers to fill in the gaps at the top once the meat is in. I only had 5 streaks when I made the loaf in the picture so I have a few gaps in my finished bacon top, but you get the idea.
  • Squeeze the grated carrots over a sink to remove some of the excess juices.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the carrots, beef, chicken livers (if using), the cooked onions and the rest of the ingredients. Use clean hands to mix the filling really well, making sure the ingredients are well incorporated and spread through.
  • Pack the mixture into the loaf tin and wrap the overlapping bacon pieces over the top of the loaf, pressing them down with your fingers.
  • Place the meatloaf in the oven, middle shelf, and bake for 45-50 minutes. I suggest to rotate the tin half way through. Turn the oven off, leave the door open and allow the loaf to rest for 10 minutes inside.
  • When you remove the tin, you might have some cooking juices inside. Simply pour the liquid out into a bowl and reserve to drizzle over the loaf when serving. Carefully remove the loaf onto a plate (I like to top the tin upside down while holding a plate over the top) and slice when serving.
  • While the loaf is cooking, prepare a side of vegetables or a salad.

To serve: paleo-friendly ketchup or other condiments and a side of veggies or a salad.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 1063mg | Potassium: 722mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4714IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 6mg
    Keywords: Ground Beef Meal Prep, bacon, Chicken livers, Meatloaf, Ground Beef Recipes
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookedandloved or tag #cookedandloved
     

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    Paleo Meatloaf With Bacon, Carrots & Balsamic Onions
    Irena Macri
    By Irena Macri

    About the author: Hi, I’m Irena Macri. I share delicious recipes that I have cooked and loved. I am a published cookbook author, have been food blogging for over 10 years and have a Diploma in Nutrition. You will find many healthy recipes as well as my favourite comfort food. More about me here | Subscribe to my newsletter and freebies

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    Comments

    19 Comments
    1. 5 stars
      This was a beautiful dish yummy recipe… I ran out of paprika and submitted cayenne pepper no problem. Thanks for the recipe.

    2. 5 stars
      My husband would LOVE this, meatloaf is one of his favorite comfort foods. This sounds amazing with the balsamic onions and you can’t go wrong with that bacon. Yum!

    3. This is a an awesome recipe! Loved the balsamic onions and sun dried tomatoes…. I made mine in a Texas muffin tin, made six portions and cooked for about 25 minutes. I Criss-crossed the bacon in the bottom, came out a gourmet treat! Thanks again Irena! ? Making them again today for visitors…

    4. 4 stars
      I really like this recipe except the uncooked bacon on the bottom of the pan. Any solutions?

      1. Hey Yvonne, do you mean uncooked as in not-crispy? It will definitely be cooked but if you want to crisp it up, you can transfer the whole meatloaf to a hot frying pan bottom side down for a couple of minutes.

    See all comments »

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