One thing I learn as I get older is that people are picky about their meatloaf. Everyone has an opinion about what makes the perfect recipe. There’s ketchup sauce, cheese sauce, Cajun-style with Tabasco and cumin, Asian with brown sugar and soy sauce. All kinds. If you look on RecipeZaar, there are 2,010 recipes for meatloaf. And in case you were wondering, there are 0 recipes for “meatload,” which is what I typed in first. 
I am all about nontraditional meatloaf. Sometimes I want the traditional ketchup sauce, but I also love a cheese sauce and almost never make the same recipe twice. So when I saw a recipe for Pomegranate-Balsamic Glazed Mini Meatloaves on the POM Wonderful site, I knew what would be on my menu plan this week. I modified the recipe based on what I had and ended up with Dried Cherry Meatloaf with a Pomegranate-Balsamic Glaze.
Meatloaf Ingredients:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 3 Tbsp POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together the following in large bowl: Meat, cherries, oats, onion, garlic, egg, seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, and POM juice.
- Shape mixture into 6 equal loaves and put on baking sheet. {I put parchment paper on the baking sheet first to reduce the cleanup.}
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.
- While meatloaves are baking, bring POM juice and balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan.
- Turn heat down to medium-high and let the mixture cook until it has reduced by half and has thickened into a syrup consistency.
- Once meatloaves are cooked, put on plate and drizzle with the glaze.
Serve with some of Gina’s Macaroni and Cheese Casserole, and you are in for a treat!
So, how about you? Do you have a tried-and-true meatloaf recipe that your family loves? Let us know below!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I made this dish for a cherry-themed dinner, and it was a hit! The meatloaf was moist and flavorful and had an interesting texture. Very pleasing! I substituted sweet cherry juice for the POM juice, and used 1/2 cup of cherry BBQ sauce instead of Worchestershire Sauce. I highly recommend this recipe!
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