Sometimes you just need to eat a hearty beefy meal, and this Portuguese Sausage Meatloaf fits the bill. This meatloaf is great for cooking for a large family or hosting friends with a simple meal. You can cook a double batch without worrying about changing the recipe. It freezes well so you can meal prep in advance for those weeknights when you’re just too busy to cook something new.
Why use Portuguese sausage in meatloaf?
Portuguese sausage is a pork sausage that has a unique flavor that is different from chorizo or a link sausage. It’s hard to describe, but it’s a flavor that Hawaii residents were raised on and discerning tastebuds have strong preferences for their favorite brand of Portuguese sausage. Mine is Frank’s Foods which is from Hilo, so it’s not the easiest to find. But when I do, I splurge to bring me back to those childhood days of eating Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice.
The Portuguese sausage brings so much flavor to the meatloaf that I don’t have to eat it with any ketchup. If you can find one made with pork and chicken, it will be all the healthier with the same great taste. The rest of my family still eats it with ketchup, but they are ketchup fanatics. If you want a meatloaf that tastes great without the extra sugar in a store-bought ketchup, try out this recipe!
Why oats instead of breadcrumbs?
I’ve mentioned before in my Turkey Meatloaf recipe post that the oats are a great binder for a long-cooking meatloaf recipe. I wouldn’t use oats for things that cook quicker like meatballs or burgers. They are also more visibly noticeable in a beef meatloaf compared to a turkey meatloaf. But in a meatloaf the oats are soft, tender, and you can’t taste them or even really notice them unless you’re looking for them. It’s just one small way that I like to add something healthy to the meatloaf while keeping the beefy flavor of the meat.
Looking for other recipes using sausage or beef? Here are some tasty classics that never get old!
Portuguese Sausage Meatloaf
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 10" saute pan
- 1 Large baking sheet
- aluminum foil
- 1 small bowl
- 1 Large bowl
Ingredients
- 20 ounces lean ground beef at room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup milk at room temperature
- 1 onion chopped
- 5 ounces Portuguese sausage chopped
- olive oil or canola oil spray
- ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Take the ground beef, eggs, and milk out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature, at least 30 minutes.
- Chop your onions and Portuguese sausage. Heat the pan on medium high heat. Add the onions and Portuguese sausage to the pan and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until the onions have softened. Let cool for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit while the sausage and onions cool. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with canola oil spray.
- Put the ground beef, eggs, milk, oats, dried thyme, salt, black pepper, and cooled onions and Portuguese sausage in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Place the meat mixture on the aluminum foil-lined baking pan (or in the meatloaf pan) and form the shape of a big loaf.
- Bake in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the meatloaf cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.
