Please fix my watery crumbly meatloaf

June 13, 2022 5:17 PM

I made a meatloaf. Pretty standard recipe except I added a pack of mushrooms, finely chopped. Presumably they let loose the flood. So my meatloaf didn't really loafify very well and it doesn't really have any kind of crust (not even the top glaze really crusted). It tasted fine, but it plated like a pile of ground beef. So how do I prepare the leftovers so they're better?

All the articles I find for fixing watery/crumbly meatloaf are about what to do NEXT TIME. But I still have 2/3 of a meat loaf to deal with and it tastes fine so I don't want to throw it out.

Open to anything from a magic loafify-ing way to reheat to to "wrap it in puff pastry" or a recipe for weird ketchup-flavoured dumplings. ("open to" may be an overstatement re: ketchup dumplings....maybe more like "willing to skeptically. look over the recipe").

I can and did slice it, but the slices are very unstable. Like anything not directly supported by a spatula will fall off.

posted by If only I had a penguin... to Food & Drink (20 answers total)

What about making some kind of pilaf with it? Ground beef and mushrooms go well in pilaf.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 5:18 PM on June 13, 2022 [8 favorites]

I bet that would be an interesting omelet filling.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:21 PM on June 13, 2022 [4 favorites]

so what you have now is tasty meat lump crumbles?

- eat them over rice
- mix with marinara sauce to make delicious meat sauce; serve over spaghetti or spaghetti squash
- serve over baked potato
- mix with sauteed bell peppers and onions so it's kind of like a stir-fry
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:22 PM on June 13, 2022 [12 favorites]

Crumble it up and fry it on high-ish heat (and maybe with a bit of extra oil) until it gets a crispy. Toss with noodles, dump over rice, or use as a tortilla filling....if you've got some cheese on hand, you could make quesadillas with it.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:59 PM on June 13, 2022 [8 favorites]

If I wasn't busy I would crumble it, mix with some flour or breadcrumbs and egg, and make meatballs with it. If I was busy I'd crumble it into pasta sauce or make homeburger helper.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:12 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

Sautée greens or chopped zucchini (plus onions or leeks?) and mix in!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 6:14 PM on June 13, 2022

Sloppy Joes. Add sauce and serve on buns. (I used to love Manwich sauce for these, but I haven't had it since the 70s, so my taste may have changed. I'm kind of surprised it still exists.)
posted by FencingGal at 6:20 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

Tacos!
posted by Thorzdad at 6:20 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

Add some rice and refried beans with it in a burrito!
posted by advicepig at 6:45 PM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

Bolognese sauce: fry up some finely diced onions, garlic, carrots and celery, add the crumbled meat, add some wine if desired, then add some canned tomatoes and simmer for a few couple hours. Add milk if you want nearer the end of cooking.

Or you could make a nice Mexican-style ground beef by adding more sautéed onions and garlic plus some simmered and blended Ancho peppers to make a sauce (optionally add tomato). Eat with flour tortillas or rice.
posted by ssg at 6:47 PM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

I'd make an onion gravy, stir in the meat not-loaf crumbles, and serve over mashed potatoes.
posted by evilmomlady at 6:57 PM on June 13, 2022 [4 favorites]

Canned Pillsbury/store-brand equivalent is your friend here. Stuffed crescent pockets, pot pie, pot pie "cups", pinwheels, shepherd's pie, mini-shepherd's pies...
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:11 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

I’d put it on nachos!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:20 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

Ooh, the person who suggested omelet made me think that it could be good as the basis for a very simple frittata. Lay slices down flat in casserole dish, ideally but optionally throw in some diced cooked potatoes (I like home fries style), pour beaten eggs with a bit of cream over until everything is covered. Bake at 350 until eggs are set. If you want, once the top is set you can sprinkle cheese on top.
posted by Night_owl at 8:20 PM on June 13, 2022

Larb(-ish)?
posted by mumimor at 8:34 PM on June 13, 2022

Break it up, mix with flour, eggs, herbs and some more seasoning. Form into small balls or little cakes. Dust in more flour, then egg, then seasoned breadcrumbs. Pan fry until golden brown and crispy on the outside.
posted by Mizu at 9:07 PM on June 13, 2022

Bibimbap!
posted by Sar at 9:36 PM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

You have the base layer for shepherd's pie. I use a mix of corn and creamed corn as the middle, and mashed potato on top; instant is acceptable.

I like the idea of hand pies made with crescent dough.
posted by theora55 at 9:38 PM on June 13, 2022 [6 favorites]

Potatoes + eggs and make a hash!
posted by momus_window at 9:43 AM on June 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

Add a bit of curry powder and maybe some tomato paste to it, cook it down a bit to incorporate the flavors. Then make some hand-pies / pasties with it. I use sheets of frozen puff pastry. Just cut each unfolded sheet along its fold lines, so you have 3 long sheets. Put your filling in the bottom half, seal it up, add an egg wash, and cut a few slits. Bake them up until golden brown. Enjoy. And you can freeze whatever you don't want to eat.
posted by hydra77 at 9:50 AM on June 14, 2022 [1 favorite]