I hadn’t made meatloaf for the family in a long time, so I decided to try a chicken meatloaf packed with hidden vegetables. To my surprise, everyone finished their plates without complaint—definitely a dinner win.
This chicken and vegetable meatloaf has a soft, slightly spongy texture and a mild sweetness from the BBQ glaze. It holds its shape well when sliced and makes excellent leftovers—try it cold on a sandwich with fresh salad.
I used a food processor to speed up preparation, but if you don’t have one you can grate the vegetables and bread by hand. I buy my chicken mince at Coles; two 500 g packs are often on special for around $9, or about $6 each normally.
Ingredients
1 kg chicken mince
1 onion
1 medium zucchini
1 medium carrot
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp seeded mustard
1 egg
3 slices wholemeal bread
100 g grated cheese
1 chicken stock cube (or 1 tbsp chicken stock powder)
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
Method
1. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the onion, zucchini and carrot until finely chopped. Sauté the vegetables in a little olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened—this concentrates their flavor. Remove from heat and allow to cool if you’re not combining immediately.
2. Tear the bread into pieces and pulse in the food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can also grate the cheese in the processor for convenience.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chicken mince, cooled vegetables, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, minced garlic, seeded mustard, egg and crumbled chicken stock cube. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a spoon until evenly combined.
4. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and press the mixture firmly into the tin. Smooth the top and spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the surface. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 1 hour.
The meatloaf is done when it springs back slightly when touched. Let it rest for 5 minutes in the tin before lifting it out. You may notice some liquid collected in the bottom of the pan—discard it or use it to make a quick gravy.
Serve slices with mashed potato and steamed vegetables for a comforting family meal. Leftovers are great for sandwiches or reheated with a salad.
Serves 4–8