Why It's A Huge Mistake To Leave Veggies Out Of Your Meatloaf

A hearty dish that's perfect for feeding the whole family, a classic meatloaf is a dinner table staple for a reason. The meaty slices star as the protein on your plate, and go great served with a side of other comfort food favorites, from mashed potatoes to macaroni and cheese. But whether you construct it out of a blend of ground beef, pork, and veal (the typical go-to) or make it a bit leaner by swapping the beef for chicken, or just use turkey for your meatloaf, you'll want to be sure not to leave out the vegetables.

Omitting the veggies is one of the absolute worst mistakes you can make with meatloaf for a number of reasons. For one thing, they're essential if you want to ensure the meat stays moist; let's be real, there's nothing worse than a bone-dry bite of meatloaf.

In addition to including a good ratio of fat in your loaf blend (80% lean to 20% fat is widely acknowledged as the ideal), incorporating vegetables can help prevent a super dry dish. The key here, however, is to make sure you sauté your veggies before mixing them into the ground meat, preferably in butter or olive oil, which will supply even more moisture by way of fat into your final result. The vegetables themselves will also further release their juices into the meat while it cooks. This is especially important if you're opting to use leaner meats, like chicken and turkey, in your recipe.

Despite its name, a solid loaf of meat does not a delicious meatloaf make. Vegetables also help to add flavor to the dish, as well as provide a palate-pleasing contrast of texture. Flavor-wise, onions, carrots, zucchini, and celery all work great to brighten up the ground beef with a sweet and earthy taste, while bell peppers can add some zesty punch to the whole shebang. If you want to ground it with a savory, umami addition, different types of mushrooms also work wonderfully. The method you choose to cook the vegetables can also have a pleasant effect on the overall taste of your loaf. Achieving a bit of caramelizing when pre-cooking can amp up their sweetness while grilling them beforehand will add a robust, smoky flavor to your final result.

As far as nailing the texture of the dish, well, that's one reason why you should never add raw vegetables to your meatloaf mix. If your chopped veggies aren't sufficiently cooked and softened by the time they hit the oven, you'll end up with hard, crunchy, stringy bits in what should be a tender and succulent eat. The pre-cooked veggies, on the other hand, will serve to improve the mouthfeel of each bite courtesy of their soft and juicy texture, which will harmonize with the tender meat. Additionally, you should be sure to add plenty of seasonings to the mix, and remember to include a binding ingredient like eggs to hold the ground meat and vegetables together.