Everyone has their own personal spin and touches on how to make a meatloaf. My stepmom used to sauté the onions+ green peppers and add in those delicious bread crumbs and seasonings and always ketchup on the top. My mom? Well…she tried to make MeatLoaf. Once. I’ll never forget how it was so terrible that my stepdad vowed from then on HE would be the Meatloaf maker (thank God!)

I’ve always done my own thing with Meatloaf too. Onions. Salt and Pepper. I use crunched up crackers in the mix (whatever buttered crackers I have in hand) and two eggs. I leave out the green peppers because my husband doesn’t care for them. Ketchup on top. Easy Peasy.

It was interesting to read Mrs Nixon’s personal recipe for Meatloaf. She used Thyme, Marjoram and S&P for her spices. As well as chopped parsley. The recipe even called for breadcrumbs on the top. It was totally different than what I’ve ever made but I thought I would give it a go. My husband was hesitant at first and a little unsure of how this different concoction would taste. But he loved it 👍 He even said that it’s the BEST meatloaf that I’ve ever made. Wow!

Meatloaf was absolutely President Nixon’s favorite food. He also enjoyed cottage cheese + ketchup for breakfast (but that’s another story!) So it’s an honor to have this recipe and eat something that President Nixon once enjoyed. It’s really special too being that it’s Mrs Nixon’s personal family recipe.

Former first lady Pat Nixon’s meatloaf recipe appeared years ago in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In the article, it states, “This recipe for family-style meatloaf is from the Nixon administration and belonged to first lady Pat Nixon. It was so popular that the recipe was printed on White House stationery to be mailed on request.”

Here’s the recipe…make it and eat like a President tonight 🇺🇸

Pat Nixon’s Meatloaf

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used minced garlic)
3 slices white bead
1 cup milk
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoons tomato puree (I used tomato sauce)
2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Directions

Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Melt butter in a saute pan, add garlic and saute until just golden — do not brown. Let cool.

In a small bowl, cube the bread and soak it in the milk.

Sauté the onions

In a large mixing bowl, mix ground beef by hand with sauteed onions and garlic and bread pieces.

Add eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and marjoram and mix by hand in a circular motion.

Turn this mixture into the prepared baking pan and pat into a loaf shape, leaving at least one inch of space around the edges to allow fat to run off. Brush the top with the tomato puree and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to penetrate and to firm up the loaf.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake meatloaf on lower shelf of oven for 1 hour, or until meat is cooked through. Pour off accumulated fat several times while baking and after meat is fully cooked. Let stand on wire rack for five minutes before slicing. Makes 6 servings.

Click here for the full recipe and for more information about Mrs Nixon’s Meatloaf.