Ramen Meatloaf Adds A Fun Twist To The Classic Comfort Meal

When most people think of classic comfort foods, they think of things like mac and cheese or a hearty meatloaf paired with mashed potatoes. Now, while the standard meatloaf is certainly a tasty meal, why not mix things up?

One such twist you can try is to make a ramen meatloaf. Ramen meatloaf is made by rolling cooked ramen inside a ground beef mixture to form a log. The result is a noodle-stuffed dish. It has the usual rich, meaty flavors to it but also has the surprise of soft, flavorful noodles when you cut into it. It's not overly complicated to make, meaning it's a great party dish to break out. 

Besides the fact that it's filled with noodles, this meal also has several key ingredients that give it an Asian-inspired flavor and set it apart from your standard meatloaf recipe. If you want to try it for yourself, it pays to know a bit more about the ingredients that go into it that help make it so unique.

Ramen meatloaf still calls for ground beef but things don't look quite the same as they do with a standard meatloaf recipe. The most obvious difference is that this variation requires you to cook a package of instant ramen noodles, which is what really sets it apart. 

You can choose from several of the best ramen flavors like pork, shrimp, and beef when it comes to making this meal. Most people go with chicken-flavored ramen noodles although you could also try playing around with other styles like spicy chicken to add a bit of kick to your meatloaf. Regardless of which you choose, make sure not to add the seasoning to the water but to toss just half the packet in with the already cooked and drained noodles.

Besides the ramen itself, there are a few other key ingredients that set this meatloaf apart. For instance, whereas your typical meatloaf recipe calls for breadcrumbs as part of the meat mixture, the ramen-stuffed version swaps them for finely crushed rice crackers. The recipe also features fresh ginger and a bit of Hoisin sauce as well. Speaking of Hoisin sauce, it also serves as the base for a glaze to spread over the meat.

All these ingredients combine to add Asian flavors to the meatloaf. The result is a unique dish that's not like any other meatloaf you've had.

Ramen meatloaf isn't the only unique spin on a classic comfort meal you can try. Similar to this dish is spaghetti-stuffed meatloaf. Like ramen meatloaf, to make this meal, you'll stuff your ground beef mixture with the pasta, this time combining it with tomato sauce and cheese.

For a less hearty platter, you could try going for something much more simple and making a turkey meatloaf instead. This is essentially the same as the standard ground beef version except that it uses ground turkey as the protein. Similarly, you could make a tasty ground pork meatloaf.

Another way to mix up your meatloaf includes changing up the sauce you use on top. Instead of slathering your dish in the usual ketchup or tomato-based sauce, you could douse it in buffalo sauce. Regardless of which of these variations on meatloaf you choose to try, know that there are plenty of ways to spruce up a standard comfort meal for something a bit more decadent.