Barbecue-Glazed Meatloaf (Low Carb, Keto & Paleo)

A great healthy twist on the American classic, this Meatloaf is glazed with a tangy Barbecue Sauce! Juicy and flavor-packed, it’s is made almond flour for a perfect gluten-free, paleo and keto dinner!

I’ve been living in this country for close to 6 years now, and have only had meatloaf once. 

Yes, it’s a sad situation, but hey I never knew it was a thing back in college. And then I started following Keto and it wasn’t really an option anymore coz bread crumbs and sugar.

So when I got back to eating normally I did my research on where to get a really good one – and that was one good meal!

This was on a trip though so I couldn’t keep going back. So I decided to make my own!

And to satisfy my old-self and maybe help out others having that same issue, here’s a meatloaf that’s low carb and keto coz its made with Almond flour. To drop the sugar too and kinda make it taste a little (lot) better too, I used unsweetened BBQ sauce for the glaze!

What makes this meatloaf so diet-friendly?

This healthy meatloaf is made with almond flour or almond meal and without bread/bread crumbs, making it gluten-free, paleo, whole30, keto and low carb.
Recommendation: Nature’s Eats.

There’s also no milk used in here, so this is also a dairy free meatloaf.

Be sure to use an unsweetened bbq sauce for the meatloaf glaze to avoid all the added sugar and other nonsense. I’d recommend Primal Kitchen’s Classic Unsweetened. 

P.S. Check that your mustard is Paleo/Whole30 approved too.

How to make the best easy and healthy meatloaf?

Use your hands to mix all the meatloaf ingredients:

• Extra lean ground beef
• Chopped onion and bell pepper
• Almond Flour
• Tomato paste (make sure its the paste and not regular crushed tomatoes)
• Egg
• Dijon Mustard
• Minced garlic
• Italian Seasoning, Salt & Pepper

Make sure your hands are clean, and don’t over-mix the meat or it will get too tough.

Transfer the mix onto a lightly greased baking sheet or into a  9 x 5” loaf pan, shape it to make it as pretty as you want, and then bake it at 375°F for first 25 minutes.

Then spread 3 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce as a topping glaze on the meatloaf, and bake it for another 30-35 minutes.

Brush on the remaining 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce, let it cool for about 10 minutes and you have the best and most healthy bbq-sauce-glazed meatloaf dinner!

Tip: Use spatulas to lift it out of the loaf pan if you use that approach!

How to store meatloaf long-term?

Meal prep this meatloaf topped with a barbecue sauce glaze and keep it in the fridge for about 3-4 days in an airtight container.

You can also stash it away in the freezer – cooked or raw. 

To freeze raw meatloaf:  Line loaf pan with plastic wrap, transfer meat mixture in, and place in freezer. When frozen, transfer to freezer-safe zipper bag.
When it’s time to cook, thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.

To freeze cooked: Slice it up, wrap each in plastic wrap and then transfer them to freezer-safe zipper bags or an airtight container and freeze.

Substitutes?

• Chicken: Ground chicken or turkey works great too.
• Almond flour: Use about 2-3 Tbsp coconut flour or an equal amount of bread crumbs or oat flour if you don’t have dietary restrictions.
• Barbecue Sauce: To make this a classic recipe, you can use ketchup in place of the bbq sauce for the meatoaf glaze.

What goes with this meatloaf?

• Grilled or Roasted Veggies
• Corn on the cob
• Mashed Potatoes
• Potato Wedges
• Smashed Potatoes

Barbecue-Glazed Meatloaf (Low Carb, Keto & Paleo)

Print recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Servings: 6 1½” thick slices

Calories: 169kcal

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

A great healthy twist on the American classic, this Meatloaf is glazed with a tangy Barbecue Sauce! Juicy and flavor-packed, it’s is made almond flour for a perfect gluten-free, paleo and keto dinner!

Ingredients

• 1 lb 93% Lean Ground Beef, 454g
• ½ medium Onion, Chopped , 55g
• ½ Green Bell Pepper, 55g
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp Almond Flour, 30g, see notes for sub
• 2½ Tbsp Tomato Paste, Not crushed tomatoes
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1½ tsp Minced Garlic, 1-2 cloves
• ¾ tsp Italian Seasoning
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper
• 3 + 1 Tbsp Barbecue Sauce, Unsweetened

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
• In a large bowl combine ground beef, chopped onion and bell pepper, almond flour, tomato paste, egg, mustard and garlic. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and mix well until uniform.
• Use clean hands, and be sure to not over-mix or the meat will toughen!
• Transfer mixture to a baking sheet and shape, or use a 9 x 5” loaf pan.
• Bake for 25 minutes, spread 3 Tbsp barbecue sauce on top, and bake another 30-35 minutes.
• Glaze with remaining 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce, let cool about 10 minutes, and enjoy!
• If using loaf pan, lift out using spatulas.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Paleo Running Momma.

• To replace almond flour use breadcrumbs or oat flour. Note that the recipe will not be Paleo-friendly anymore.
• Use a unsweetened barbecue sauce to keep this healthy.

Make Ahead:

• Raw: Line sheet (or loaf pan) with plastic wrap, transfer on meat mixture, shape, and place in freezer. When frozen, transfer to freezer-safe zipper bag. Thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.

Storage:

• Fridge: 4 days in an airtight glass container.
• Freezer: Cut into slices, wrap each in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag and freeze. Thaw and reheat in microwave to serve.

Product Recommendations:

• Primal Kitchen Classic BBQ Sauce, Organic and Unsweetened
• Nature’s Eats Superfine Almond Flour

Nutrition:

• Servings: 6 1½” thick slices | Serving size: 1 slice
• Calories: 169kcal
• Fat: 8.5g | Saturated fat: 2.5g
• Carbohydrates: 4.7g | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 2.4g
• Protein: 17.9g