1770 House Meatloaf ~ this Ina Garten meatloaf recipe with a roasted garlic gravy is moist, tender, and full of old world flavor ~ I highly recommend it!
Reader Rave ~
“Easy and delicious, comfort food at its best; the gravy sent it over the top!! Thank you, Sue!” ~Jomarie
I saw Ina Garten make this 1770 House Meatloaf on tv and I made a mental note to try it. She says it’s the best meatloaf she’s ever had, and that convinced me to give it a go. I’m so glad I did — now it’s my favorite too! The 1770 House is an Easthampton NY inn and restaurant famous for this dish which is served in the cozy ‘tavern’ downstairs. There’s nothing earth shaking in the ingredient list, but I think in this case it’s all about proportion. Specifically, more. More of the add ins that you normally use gives this meatloaf great texture. The original recipe calls for veal, as well as pork and beef, but I don’t eat veal, so I left that out. Didn’t seem to hurt it one bit.
I have to say the gravy really makes this interesting. It’s thin, and rather pale, but full of mellow roasted garlic flavor. It’s very old world. If you’re used to packaged gravy mixes you might find it a little bland. In that case I suggest adding your favorite bullion cube and maybe a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
This is a wonderful fall meal, I love everything about it. I might put some roasted garlic in the meat mixture next time, too, just to emphasize that flavor. No need to worry about garlic breath, either, the roasting takes care of that. The 1770 House serves it with mashed potatoes and spinach — we had ours with roasted Brussels sprouts and pureed turnip. Hope you try it!
I’m a meatloaf girl from way back, and I’ve posted several here on the blog, have you tried them all?
- BOURBON GLAZED MEATLOAFÂ ~Â a little something for the adults…
- NOT YOUR MOTHER’S MEATLOAF ~ this one is full of color and flavor, and definitely not the one you grew up with.

1770 House Meatloaf
Ingredients
meatloaf
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
- 1 celery stalk, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 heaping Tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1 heaping Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh chives
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp salt, feel free to cut this amount down a bit if you like
- 2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup bread crumbs
roasted garlic gravy
- 1 head garlic
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Wondra flour
- optional;: a bouillon cube and a splash of Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F
- Slice the tips off the end off the head of garlic, leaving the cloves all attached. Brush with olive oil and wrap loosely in foil.
- Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil for a few minutes until translucent. Set aside to cool.
- Put the rest of the meatloaf ingredients in a large mixing bowl, along with the sauteed veggies, breaking apart the meat as you put it in. Use your fingers to gently mix everything together, Make sure to get everything thoroughly combined without over-working the meat, which can make it tough.
- Turn the meat out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and form it into a long even oval. Ina says to flatten the meat out first to get rid of any air pockets, and then bring it back together into a loaf shape. I like my meatloaves fairly wide and flat so the meat cooks evenly. Be aware that the mixture will feel VERY wet at this point. That's good, it will give you a moist tender result.
- Bake for about 50 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the center reads 155-160F. Roast the garlic packet alongside the meatloaf for the entire time.
- Let the meatloaf rest under foil for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, make the gravy by melting the butter in a saucepan and adding the chicken stock. Squeeze out the garlic from each clove, and add to the pan. Mash the garlic with the back of your spoon as you stir. Let the gravy come up to a boil, reduce the heat, and let reduce a bit. I like to add the bouillon cube and a splash of Worcestershire sauce for more color and flavor, but that's optional.
- To thicken the gravy just a bit, sprinkle on a little Wondra flour while stirring. Strain the gravy through a mesh strainer and serve with the meatloaf.
Notes
Don’t forget to pin this 1770 House Meatloaf!
It looks so Yummy! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks so much!
Thanks Katy <3
You’ve made me so hungry and I’m not even hungry! How do you do that? This looks amazing, pinning it!
Yup, more always works for me. 😉 I never make meatloaf for some reason — I think my mom’s scared me off for life (she was a good cook, but her meatloaf wasn’t). Really should try this to get over that childhood trauma. 😉
My mom wasn’t a fancy cook at all, but I LOVED her meatloaf, and I’ve loved all kinds every since…
I saw Ina make this also and wanted to make. I forgot all about it, so I’m so happy you posted this. I don’t believe it’s ever going to cool off down here, October was hotter than September! Will make it soon anyway, maybe we’ll get a coolish rainy evening?
That roasted garlic gravy is definitely a winner in my book.
Thanks for this Sue. The perfect meatloaf is one of my quests! 🙂
Ina always makes the best classics and this meatloaf looks like no exception!
This is the kind of food I’m craving right now! Roasted, baked, simmered comfort foods. The roasted garlic gravy sounds delicious too. Can’t wait to make this for dinner on a chilly day.
Our weather is stubbornly staying warm here, Susan, but I’m going for the comfort food anyway 😉
This look sooooo good and cozy–I can just imagine it in the little inn tavern!
I know, me too!
This looks so delicious and is the second Ina Garten recipe I find on a blog today. I also asked before and would like to ask you as well. Can you recommend a good Ina Garten cookbook? I have been thinking to buy one for a while but I am not sure which one (they are pretty expensive so I would like to choose well). She is not very well known around here, so I am really not sure what to choose. Thanks. 🙂
Oh my gosh Adina, I love Ina so much and I love all her cookbooks, but I have to say I think her earlier ones are better than the ones she has been putting out recently. I would go with one of her first, like The Barefoot Contessa Cookbood,(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0609602195/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0609602195&linkCode=as2&tag=thvifrthgris-20&linkId=KHWFZ5F4PSRRDM6I)
Family Style,(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/060961066X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=060961066X&linkCode=as2&tag=thvifrthgris-20&linkId=RY72SRLSYDTDAYT7)
and Back to Basics (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400054354/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400054354&linkCode=as2&tag=thvifrthgris-20&linkId=QK645XFX5I6MPY5U) They’re all good.
Thank you, Sue. I will have a look on Amazon.:)