Meatloaf Sandwich

When Leftovers Create Delicious

There are two sandwiches that come to mind immediately when I think of “leftovers”

The classic Thanksgiving sandwich. A once-a-year occasion that many people look forward to more than the actual Turkey Day meal itself.

And the meatloaf sandwich.

Growing up I would get excited whenever Mama Octopod would be baking off meatloaf because that meant the next day I’d be eating a delicious sandwich stuffed with meatloaf the next day for lunch.

This is why the meatloaf recipe I dropped makes a large amount.

You want leftovers so you can feast on this iconic sandwich, and possibly still have more left to heat up as a plated dinner.

As a lifelong enjoyer of the meatloaf sando, I’ve put together (2) versions below that are truly epic.

Ma’s meatloaf sando was a simple a craveworthy preparation of white bread, ketchup, mayo and iceberg lettuce. I took that and did a riff, then did a different take altogether that yielded an epic sandwich as well.

Success Factors:

Less is more.

BowTiedOctopod | Culinary Chad @BowTiedOctopod

Building meatloaf 🥪 Less is more. If the meatloaf sucks, the sandwich will too.

If your meatloaf sucks the sandwich is never going to be great. A dry and crumbly meatloaf is a disaster on this sandwich. (See above recipe for perfection).

Further, the meatloaf should be cold. Just out of the fridge and sliced into 2inch slabs… not warm.

For bread this is very important. Sourdough, focaccia, whole wheat, baguette, bolillo, rustic loaf, seeded breads… are all inferior for this preparation.

A white, enriched sandwich loaf (enriched meaning a milk/dairy component is added to make a softer and more tight crumb) is the ultimate classic selection.

Read on for the second version which uses another enriched bread with amazing results 🤤

As for condiments/garnishes: iceberg lettuce is essential. Not romaine, or mixed greens, or baby spinach or arugula (😑 ); tried them all. Not worth wasting your time.

Aside from that mayonnaise and ketchup finish off the essentials. (If you have leftover meatloaf glaze, that works well in place of ketchup).

Sandwich #1

-Instead of pulling large pieces of iceberg to put on the sandwich, we are going to finely slice (aka chiffonade) the iceberg. This will allow to retain a nice crunch and then we can add some mayo, herbs and seasoning to the lettuce to make it really flavorful and integral to the sandwich; not just a textural element.

You will need:

White sandwich loaf: look in your bakery section. Something like what is pictured works really well or in a pinch Pepperidge Farm: Farmhouse Hearty White.

Good Meatloaf: chilled, sliced into 1.5-2inch slabs.

Iceberg lettuce: finely sliced.

Red Onion: finely sliced, pole-to-pole.

Italian Parsley: finely chopped.

Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Cider Vinegar, Ketchup, Mayo.

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The Build:

1. Slice your bread (if using a full, uncut loaf) into even ~1inch slices. Toast until golden brown.

   

2. While the bread is toasting combine your iceberg in a bowl with a small handful of the sliced onions, chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Now add a generous dollop of mayo a dash of cider vinegar and mix well. Basically making a heavily dressed salad.

   

3. *Note: the amount of ingredients will depend on the number of sandwiches you are making. Per sandwich approx: 1/2 cup shredded iceberg, 7-8 shavings of red onion, 1 TB chopped parsely. Pinch of salt and pepper. 1 heaping TB of mayo and 1 tsp vinegar. **Do according to your tastes.

4. Once the bread is toasted lay down a generous spread of ketchup, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Add the meatloaf to cover. Season the meatloaf with a pinch of salt.

5. Now add the dressed lettuce on top and spread in an even layer. Top with the remaining slice of bread and lightly press.

   

   

6. Slice the sandwich into halves and dig in with full force to take a mighty bite 🙌 🤤

   

   An ode to Ma’s meatloaf sandwich that I tweaked up. Absolutely divine.

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Sandwich #2

This one came after much thought about wanting to do a different take on the version I grew up with, but also maintain a balance of flavors so you can still taste the meatloaf.

In my opinion, if the sandwich tastes like all the condiments and garnish… that’s a fail.

Bread: King’s Hawaiian bread rolls. These rolls are a cheat code for store bought bread. I used to use these for a bbq short rib slider that was epic. Because the dough is enriched and naturally sweet we need a more punchy condiment lineup to balance that out.

A 4x4 section per sandwich, cut through the center to make 2 “slices” of bread to build our sando on. No testing necessary, we want that soft bread for this version.

You Will Need:

(1) 4x4 King’s Hawaiian roll, per sandwich

Good Meatloaf: chilled, sliced into 1.5-2inch slabs.

Iceberg lettuce: finely sliced.

Dill Pickles: medium chopped.

Italian Parsley: finely chopped.

Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Dijon Mustard, Ketchup, Mayo.

The Build

1. Make the condiment salad (per sando): to 1/2 cup iceberg add 1.5 TB chopped pickle, pinch of salt and pepper, 2 tsp dijon and 1.5TB mayo. Mix thoroughly. The salad should be punchy from the pickle and dijon.

2. Lay your cut roll sections, with the interior facing up. Spread generous layer of ketchup on the bottom, leaving half inch border.

3. Add your meatloaf on top, season with a pinch of salt.

4. Add the condiment salad and spread evenly over your meatloaf, finishing by adding the roll-top slice to make the “sandwich”

   

   

5. Slice in half down the center; now you’ll have two halves made up by 2 rolls from each side.

   

You will immediately notice the soft sweet bread up front then get that meaty umami from the meatloaf then a zip of acid from the pickles, ketchup and mustard.

Mouthwatering-ly delicious.

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Give either of these sandwiches a try and I think you’ll be making more meatloaf just so you can have the sandwiches next day 😂 🙌

Enjoy friends, Pizza & Wine pairing guide up next.