It’s that time of the month again wherein meatloaf is the star of the dinner table at mom’s house. Your mother has probably made this for you since you were little so you have a good idea of what vegetables go well with meatloaf. This is a delicious guide to the vegetable side with meatloaf.
Meatloaf is one of the cleverest dishes ever made in history by man. It makes use of scrap meat and other ingredients on the brink of rotting or expiration and then turned into a collected loaf of goodness.
The first-ever recorded meatloaf was in Medieval Europe, straight from the Mediterranean. It was a mixture of coarsely chopped meat, fruits, vegetables, seasoning, and nuts. This creation was then passed on from century to century, creating some of the best meatloaf recipes that we now enjoy.
If you think about it, meatloaf is a sustainable way of not putting anything to waste. You mix all of these ingredients and prolong its shelf life further. You make it well, season it well and serve it for a long period of time. The best part about meatloaf is that it keeps well in the freezer.
Meatloaf is something almost all households have tried so we put together a list of vegetables that compliment the flavor of the meatloaf regardless of its origin.
Table of Contents
1. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a famous side dish in the southern states of the United States. Just like potatoes, it’s a versatile kind of starchy veg that you can boil, mash, roast, bake, grill, or fry. With meatloaf, we like slicing our sweet potatoes like fries and baking them in the oven with a honey chili glaze. The sweet potatoes crisp up and this texture complements the tenderness of the meatloaf.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes are versatile and they’re a crowd favorite. We like serving our meatloaf with a good German potato salad. If the meatloaf recipe is very close to a German recipe, it just makes sense. We love the zing from the mustard and the bite from the fresh onion in the potato salad. Potatoes simply go well with anything and everything.
3. Carrots
Carrots are often roasted or buttered with other vegetables. With meatloaf, we like serving roasted carrots alone to highlight their flavor in the meal. A nice simple roast of carrots and garlic with extra virgin olive oil would shine through the meatloaf meal. If you have a good side of creamy mashed potatoes as well, it would make a perfect dinner meal.
4. Brussels Sprouts
The flavor of meatloaves varies. If your meatloaf is heavy on richness, we suggest serving it with brussels sprouts that have been glazed and roasted in Balsamic vinegar. The nice tangy flavor of the vinegar seeps through each layer of the brussels sprouts, perfuming and enhancing the flavor of the vegetable. Not only is it delicious but it’s also such as classic American meal of meatloaf with brussels sprouts (but make it extra).
5. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that’s quite mild in flavor. We love the little florets it has. With meatloaf, we like making cauliflower tots. The crispy and coated cauliflower pops complement the soft texture of the meatloaf. It’s very enjoyable to eat most especially if you like eating your meatloaf with ketchup.
6. Tomato
To make things a little more fresh and fancy, we love turning tomatoes into a delicious fresh salad like caprese. This kind of salad cuts through the richness of the meatloaf, turning it into a less indulgent meal. If you have heirloom tomatoes, mixt it up with fresh mozzarella slices, extra virgin olive oil, chopped basil, and rock sea salt.
7. Broccoli
Broccoli is another cruciferous vegetable that tastes a little vegetal compared to its other cruciferous family members. Broccoli tastes great with meatloaf most especially with a maple-mustard glaze. This combination of flavors is great with an American-style meatloaf. The zing from the mustard cuts through the richness and the sweetness of the maple syrup enhances the flavor of the meatloaf.
8. Asparagus
We said it before and we’re saying it again. Asparagus is a versatile vegetable that you can literally pair with anything! With meatloaf, we like spicing things up with our asparagus. It may seem unconventional with a western meatloaf but we’ve tried and tested it and the verdict is GOOD. Quickly marinate your asparagus in gochujang and roast it. The pepper paste will seep through the asparagus and the sweet-spicy flavor will complement that of the meatloaf.
9. Onion
It may seem simple but we love a good onion and we love it with meatloaf. There’s no fuss over here but simply make a delicious caramelized onions condiment to go with your meatloaf meal. The natural sweetness of the onion and added zing from the lemon will surely harmonize with any meatloaf recipe.
10. French Beans
Deep-fried French beans are the way to go with any meatloaf dish. This perfect side dish adds crunch to meatloaf and it’s very easy to eat. If you want to be extra with your crunchy French beans, serve it with some aioli sauce.
