Creamy Caramelized Onion Meatloaves
with Sumac Roasted Carrots & Zucchini
- Wheat
- Milk
Glaze ‘em, smother ‘em, stuff ‘em—meatloaves really can do it all. These loaves mix things up with a spoonful of creamy sauce over top, made with sweet caramelized onion, cream cheese, butter, and a pinch of parsley. On the side, sumac—a tangy Middle Eastern spice—seasons carrots and zucchini with citrusy flavor (similar to lemon zest!). Serve it all together, letting the sauce pool around the veggies, for a perfectly paired plate and yet another meatloaf miracle.
Ingredients
12 ounce
Carrots
1 unit
Zucchini
10 ounce
Ground Beef
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
1 unit
Yellow Onion
¼ ounce
Parsley
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 teaspoon
Sumac
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
4 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
2 teaspoon
Olive Oil
¾ teaspoon
Sugar
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position (top and middle positions for 4 servings) and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Trim, peel, and cut carrots on a diagonal into ½-inch-thick pieces. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; slice crosswise into 1-inch-thick half-moons.
• In a medium bowl (use a large bowl for 4 servings), gently combine beef*, panko, garlic powder, salt (we used ¾ tsp; 1¼ tsp for 4), and pepper. • Form into two 1-inch-tall loaves (four loaves for 4).
• Place meatloaves on one side of a lightly oiled baking sheet. TIP: Line sheet with foil first for easier cleanup. • Toss carrots on empty side with a large drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. (For 4 servings, use 2 baking sheets; roast meatloaves on middle rack and carrots on top rack.) • Roast on top rack until meatloaves are cooked through and carrots are browned and tender, 22-25 minutes. TIP: Love extra-crispy veggies? Once meatloaves are done, remove from sheet and continue roasting carrots for 2-3 minutes more.
• While everything roasts, halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Pick parsley leaves from stems; roughly chop leaves. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini; cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes (7-10 minutes for 4 servings). Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan. • Add a large drizzle of oil to same pan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, 6-9 minutes. TIP: Lower heat and add a splash of water if onion begins to brown too quickly.
• Add cream cheese, stock concentrate, ½ cup water, and ¾ tsp sugar (1½ tsp for 4 servings) to pan with onion; cook until thickened, 1-3 minutes more. • Turn off heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) and a pinch of chopped parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Carefully toss zucchini and carrots together with half the sumac (all for 4 servings). • Divide meatloaves and carrots and zucchini between plates. Spoon caramelized onion sauce over meatloaves; garnish with remaining chopped parsley. Serve.
Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160º.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The caramelized onion sauce is the highlight — rich, creamy, and delicious on its own. The meatloaves themselves were frequently described as dry and bland; the sauce helps, but adding Worcestershire sauce, an egg, or extra seasoning to the meat mixture makes a real difference 🍲.
- Ease of prep: The recipe has several components cooking at once, and the onions take noticeably longer to caramelize than the instructions suggest — budget extra time. Roasting the zucchini on the same sheet pan as the carrots is a popular shortcut that simplifies the process.
- Suggestions: Add an egg and a splash of liquid to the meatloaf mix to prevent dryness; reduce the water in the sauce (one reviewer found one-quarter to one-third cup worked better than the full half cup). If the sauce seems too sweet, skip or halve the sugar.
- Leftovers: One reviewer noted the meal reheated even better the next day, and another said it paired well with a side salad for a complete meal.
- Sumac: Sumac was a pleasant discovery for many — its citrusy tang works well on the roasted vegetables, though a few found the flavor subtle; use it all for two servings as directed for the best result.
Reviews from our home cooks
Love the meatloaves. The caramelized onion topping puts it over the top. It is so delicious. The carrot/zucchini jumble is a great complement to the meal.
I was worried the meatloaves would be dry, but they were incredible. Not dry at all! I think a little too salty, but delicious anyway. The caramelized onion sauce was perfect and we liked the carrot. A little over the zucchini though. This would have been even better with mashed potatoes.
That creamy caramelized onion gravy is SO GOOD! And the sumac on the carrots and zucchini really brighten up the flavors. Great dish!
The caramelized onion sauce really made this meal! My family members are all big meat eaters (even the young children) so there wasn't enough meat and it was a bit dry. Of course the sauce made up for it. There were also a lot more carrots compared to zucchini.
Left off the sumac spice, tasted it and didn't care for it. The carrot and zucchini flavor were all that was needed. Liked the sauce but didn't carmelize the onion, only sautéed. Was really good. Would have liked a bit more sauce and less onion though. Great the way I made it. Would definitely repeat.
Meatloaf was a little dry. The onions take much longer to caramelize than the recipe directions allow for. I recognized that issue and put the zucchini on the sheet pan with the carrots so I could immediately start the onions but still had to try to hold the finished veggies and meatloaf while waiting on the onions. It tasted good in the end but was one of the worst written recipes I've seen from HF.
I love the onion sauce. Absolutely delicious. I was a bit worried about the sumac as I had never knowingly had it before, so I split the carrots and zucchini. I did the red pepper flake on the carrots and the sumac on the zucchini only. It worked out just fine! The sumac tasted just fine-although I'm not sure I could nail down that flavor? Not sure a flavor was there, but it definitely didn't taste bad.
The caramelized onion sauce was amazinggggg. The meatloaves turned out delicious and the veggies were also really good. Probably the most involved HF recipe to date but worth it. Love this one
Perfect portion sizes. The little meatloaves were so cute! And the creamy caramelized onions were a perfect addition.
My children swore they did not like meatloaf until they tried this recipe! I particularly enjoyed the creamy caramelized onion, and this was an easy meal to make.
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