Gluten Free Meatloaf with Keto Ketchup

Meatloaf. That word makes me think of my grandma, who made the best meatloaf. And in turn, of course, it's how my mama made it for us while growing up. You know, the one with Saltine crackers and bread crumbs and Heinz ketchup smeared all over the top. Those ingredients are not an option for me these days but I still had that hankering for my grandma's meatloaf so I took on the challenge to be creative and make a gluten free version that would taste just as yummy. Becuase sometimes you just need to make a meal that makes you feel at "Home" and this meal did that for sure! It had been a long time since I had made meatloaf because for me, meatloaf isn't quite as good without ketchup and after walking through this health journey, that left me unable to eat sugar, ketchup just wasn't even a thought. Then it dawned on me that I could probably make it pretty easily.  This ketchup recipe is derived from one on the Wholesome Yum website with my tweaks made to suit my tastes and the ingredients that I had. 

And by the way, this also makes an AWESOME barbeque sauce for this delightful time of year which is grilling season! 

Make ketchup and set aside

For the Ketchup:

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 cup of water

3 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

1/3 cup of Pyure stevia blend

1 tsp salt

1 heaping tsp of onion powder

1 heaping tsp of garlic powder

1 heaping tsp of smoked paprika

1/4 tsp of mustard powder

1/8 tsp of ground cloves

Wisk all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Make sure to cover because it splatters all over. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 35 minutes. This is important because if you don't simmer for long enough, it will still have that earthy tomato paste flavor. Use it right away on top of this meatloaf or grilled chicken or cool and store in refrigerator for all of your ketchup or bbq needs. 

For the Meatloaf:

1 pound of ground beef

1 egg

1/3 cup of cashew flour-could use almond flour as well but the texture of cashew is softer

1/2 of a colored pepper, finely diced

1/2 of an onion, finely diced

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

1 tsp of garlic powder

Mix well and form a loaf shape on you baking sheet (I used a piece of parchment for easy cleanup) and cover the top with the ketchup. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minuts or until browned and cooked through. Enjoy! 

This is the sweetener that I use available at Walmart or Amazon. It's organic and non gmo. I have found it to have the best flavor for replacing sugar.