Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. chili powder
2 lb. ground beef
1 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. almond flour
1/4 c. grated Parmesan
2 eggs
1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 thin strips bacon
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a medium baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and celery and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, and chili powder and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Let mixture cool slightly. Step 2In a large bowl, combine ground beef, vegetable mixture, cheese, almond flour, Parmesan, eggs, soy sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Shape into a large loaf in baking dish, then lay bacon slices on top. Step 3Cook until bacon is crispy and beef is cooked through, about 1 hour. If bacon is cooking too quickly, cover dish with foil.
That’s right: in addition to being a great keto-friendly dinner, this revamped meatloaf will be a huge hit with everyone, carb-eating or not. The bacon adds savory saltiness and crunch on top, the almond flour acts as a perfect nutty binder, and as for the soy sauce? Well, let’s just say it packs a punch of umami you never knew meatloaf could have. With all this fantastic flavor already at the party, you won’t think twice about the bread crumbs or the ketchup. Read on for our top tips on making this super simple, super-delicious weeknight dinner. If you’re looking for other keto-friendly meals, try out our keto fried chicken. It’s a keeper. I’m not a fan of cheddar. What other cheese can I use? If you want to switch it up, we recommend using another hard cheese that melts well, such as Provolone, Swiss, or Monterey Jack. You could even use pepper jack if you want to add some extra kick to your meatloaf. Can I skip the soy sauce? Sure, but we don’t recommend it. Soy sauce is one of those magical condiments that adds intense depth of flavor to anything it goes in, no matter the cuisine. In this case, it adds tons of umami to our meatloaf. How do I know if my meatloaf is properly seasoned before I bake it? I can’t taste it. But you can! We’re not suggesting you taste raw beef. But you can absolutely fry off a little bit of the meatloaf mixture in a pan on the stove, and then taste it. (Microwaving the raw beef mixture works too.) In fact, we’d highly recommend that you do just that. That way you can make sure it’s seasoned to your liking. What if my bacon starts to get crispy before the middle of my meatloaf is cooked through? If your bacon is browning too much before the interior of your meatloaf is done, feel free to cover your meatloaf with foil. Just make sure to remove the foil a few minutes before you take the meatloaf out, so you can ensure that your bacon is crispy and not soggy.
