Amazing German Meatloaf
This German meatloaf is the perfect comfort meal and topped with a dark beer sauce after baking. Called Zwiebelhackbraten in German, this easy meatloaf packs a ton of onions, giving it a subtle, sweet flavor.It's one of my favorite German recipes and I love serving it with some homemade Bratkartoffeln (German pan-fried potatoes) or Spätzle (German egg noodles) and a simple salad.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 750 grams ground beef (I also like using a mixture of beef and pork)
- 200 grams stale bread (I use day old French bread or whatever kind of leftover bread I have)
- 2 large pickles
- 1 Tablespoons butter
- 4 yellow onions (4 small or 2 large)
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard (or any mustard you have on hand)
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice (I use fresh squeezed lemon juice)
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 Tablespoons butter (melted, to brush onto the meatloaf before baking and throughout baking)
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons yellow onion (small diced)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 100 milliliters broth (I use chicken or veggie broth)
- 240 milliliters dark beer (such as a German Dunkelbier)
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- sugar (to taste)
- apple cider vinegar (to taste)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350℉ or 180℃ (convection setting).
- 2
Cut the day old bread into thin slices, then soak in water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Now wring out the bread and put in a large bowl.
- 3
Small dice the onions. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and add the onions. Cook until translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- 4
Small dice the pickles.
- 5
Add pickles and cooked onions above ingredients into the bowl with the bread. Also add ground meat, eggs, chopped parsley, lemon juice, mustard, and season with salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Knead together.
- 6
Melt the remaining butter and use some of it to brush on the inside of a loaf pan. Now add in the meatloaf mixture and shape into a loaf, forming a slight ridge between the meatloaf and the pan.
- 7
Bake on the bottom rack for about 60 minutes (possibly less time depending on your oven and the pan you use).
- 8
Brush butter on top of the meatloaf every 15 minutes until it's done baking.
- 9
The internal temperature of the meatloaf should be 160℉ or 71℃ when fully cooked.
- 10
Let rest for 10 minutes after baking before slicing.
- 11
In the meantime, make the sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a small pot and sauté the onion for a couple of minutes. Then add in the tomato paste and sauté for 5 minutes. Whisk in the broth and beer and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and apple cider vinegar.