The Best Way To Add Onions To Meatloaf So They Melt Into Every Bite Of The Dish

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Unlike the 14 old-school ground beef dishes no one seems to make anymore, like goulash and Hamburger Helper, meatloaf remains a staple meal for many American families. Sure enough, formed and baked ground beef mixed with a jumble of moisture-rich ingredients like onions, garlic, eggs, and ketchup proves to be a reliable dish most adults and kids enjoy. That being said, if you usually add onions to your meatloaf, you may want to think twice about the way you're preparing them. Instead of adding chopped onions to your meatloaf mixture, grate your onion to give your meatloaf recipe a little extra moisture and a more pronounced onion flavor.

If you already make meatloaf on the regular, you know creating this dish with enough moisture and flavor is essential. While the best meatloaf begins with the right blend of ground beef, which is typically between 15% and 20% fat, mindfully incorporating the other ingredients in your recipe is key.

Grating onions instead of dicing them gives meatloaf a softer, more uniform consistency. Not to mention, smaller onion particles give meatloaf a more distinct onion flavor without having to pan-fry these veggies in advance. Lastly, grated onions naturally produce more moisture, which makes for an ultra-tender finished product. However, as you switch up your usual mode of preparation, there are a few pointers worth keeping in mind.

For starters, grate your onions with a box grater like the stainless steel Urbanstrive Cheese Grater from Amazon. For the most effective results, slice your onion in half and then grate each half cut-side in. Choose the largest setting so your onions retain a decent amount of texture. Unfortunately, the smaller setting on your box grater or even a microplane may inadvertently turn your onions into a mushy mess. That being said, once you grate your onion, feel free to give the resulting shreds an additional chop or two to make them a bit smaller in length. 

Once you're ready to incorporate grated onions into your recipe, first mix them with the suggested breadcrumbs to make a panade, which is simply breadcrumbs saturated with milk, stock, or water. However, the moisture from grated onions works just as well. While you may need to add an extra splash of milk or stock to achieve the best paste-like texture, a panade made with grated onions makes for an extra tender, more flavorful meatloaf.

Once you get the hang of incorporating grated onion to your usual mix of ingredients, you may feel emboldened to make a few more worthwhile upgrades. For example, for the most flavorful meatloaf ever, make a simple breadcrumb swap by using stale bits of cornbread instead of traditional breadcrumbs. Or, instead of applying a tomato-based glaze, make an alternative topping with stone-ground mustard and dark brown sugar.