My grandmother, Gaga was famous for her delicious Ham Loaf and it continues to be one of my fondest memories of visiting her apartment and family gatherings. The problem with her recipe is that it contained 1-1/2 cups of bread crumbs, 1 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of brown sugar! Ouch! My low carb remake has all the same flavors but just 1/4th the carbs of the original recipe! I had to experiment a bit to discover the perfect substitute for the breadcrumbs, which lightens up the loaf and gives it the proper texture. Some low carb meatloaf recipes call for almond flour to replace the crumbs, but the result is too heavy and dense. I discovered that plain riced cauliflower is the key! It absorbs flavor from the other ingredients so you won’t even know it’s there, but the end result is perfection. My family is so delighted to have this cherished heirloom favorite on our table again!
Low Carb Ham Loaf
Makes 16 servings
2 pounds fully cooked ham, ground (I used Kentucky Legend)
1 pound ground pork
1 cup cauliflower rice, thawed
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons granulated erythritol (I used Golden LaKanto Monkfruit sweetener)
3/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
2 eggs, beaten
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the cooked ham through a grinder. An alternative is to pulse in a food processor in multiple small batches until the ham is minced into tiny pieces, but not so fine that it turns to paste.
2. Mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Shape into a loaf (or 2 smaller loaves). Place the loaf into a covered roaster or place the loaf on a cookie sheet and tent with foil. (If you formed two loaves, you can freeze one for later, just thaw before cooking.)
3. Bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until nicely browned.
4. Remove from oven and rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (Leftovers are excellent for breakfast or dinner when sliced and grilled in a skillet.)
Nutritional Information per slice: 157 calories, 2.7 g carbohydrate (0.2 dietary fiber, 1.3 g sugars, 2.2 g sugar alcohols), 9.6 g total fat (3.4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 74 mg cholesterol, 683 mg sodium, 10.7 mg calcium, 94 mg potassium, 36 mg Vit A, 15.8 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 2.5 grams.
Photos and recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2018
All rights reserved. Please do not duplicate without the author’s permission.
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