Korean Beef and Mushroom Meatloaf with Gochujang Glaze

Korean Beef and Mushroom Meatloaf is made with half-and-half ground beef and mushrooms. It’s delicious brushed with savory gochujang glaze.

I’ve recently been trying to come up with a new meatloaf recipe that uses the blended beef technique. If you’re not familiar, this is a technique that cuts the ground beef in a recipe (often burgers) with mushrooms, or sometimes other vegetables. This helps to make the meal cheaper, as well as lower in total and saturated fat and calories, while bumping up your vegetable intake.

I’ve been making burgers for my family this way for years, and despite hating mushrooms, my kids love them (yes, they know about the mushrooms I use in their favorite burgers).

I tried one recipe a while ago that didn’t go over very well with my family. It was kind of a standard American-style meatloaf with a ketchup-based glaze. I recently decided to try again, this time with inspiration from my ever-popular Korean Beef and Mushroom Bowl.

When my kids inevitably asked what we were having for dinner that night, and I told them meatloaf, they both groaned. But they must have been hungry, because they both agreed to try it without a fuss. And shockingly, they both said it was really good and even took seconds!

If you’re looking for a meal that your family will love, while cutting down on the ground beef that seems to get more and more expensive by the week, I definitely recommend giving this Korean Beef and Mushroom Meatloaf with Gochujang Glaze a try, especially if you already know and love my Korean Beef and Mushroom Bowl.

How to Make Korean Beef and Mushroom Meatloaf with Gochujang Glaze

The first step to making this flavor-filled meatloaf is to prep the mushrooms. If the mushrooms are very large, break them into smaller pieces and put them in your food processor. Pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until they’re minced fine. Make sure not to over-process, or the mushrooms will turn into a paste.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the minced mushrooms, minced onions, and salt. Cook until most of the moisture has left the mushrooms, and they clump together, resembling cooked ground beef.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, cooked mushroom mixture, panko, soy sauce, egg, brown sugar, ginger, gochujang, garlic, and sesame oil until uniform. You can do this with your hands or a large spoon.

Press the beef mixture into a greased 8.5×4.5″ (1 pound) loaf pan, or form it into a free-form loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the meatloaf at 350°F for 45 minutes.

While the meatloaf is cooking, make the gochujang glaze by stirring together the gochujang, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a small bowl or measuring cup.

After the meatloaf has baked for 45 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and brush some of the glaze all over the top (and sides, if your meatloaf is free-form) of your meatloaf. Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven again, and brush the meatloaf with a second layer of glaze. Before returning the meatloaf to the oven, check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. If the center of the meatloaf has reached at least 160°F, turn the oven to broil and broil the meatloaf until the glaze is browned (be sure to watch it to prevent burning).

If the temperature has not yet reached 160°F, return the meatloaf to the oven to bake for another 10-15 minutes before a final broil.

Allow the meatloaf to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish the cooked meatloaf with sesame seeds, if desired. Cut the meatloaf into 8 slices and serve with additional glaze. Serve with rice or another cooked grain, and salad or a cooked vegetable side to make a complete meal.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat.

Korean Beef and Mushroom Meatloaf with Gochujang Glaze Ingredients

• Mushrooms – You can use either regular white button mushrooms or brown (crimini) mushrooms for this recipe. Since you will be running them through the food processor, there is no need to buy pre-sliced mushrooms, which often cost more.
• Canola oil – Or use any other neutral-flavored cooking oil
• Onion
• Kosher salt or MSG-salt – You will only be using a little salt to help draw the liquid from the mushrooms and onions during cooking. The rest of the salty flavor in the meatloaf comes from soy sauce.
• Lean ground beef
• Panko – Make sure to use gluten-free panko or bread crumbs to make this meatloaf gluten-free.
• Reduced-sodium soy sauce – or you can use regular soy sauce, but since I usually don’t notice a huge flavor difference, I almost always opt for a reduced-sodium version. You will need it both in the meatloaf and in the gochujang glaze.
• Large egg – this acts as a binder for the meatloaf (along with the panko) to make sure it doesn’t fall apart.
• Brown sugar – You will be using brown sugar both in the meatloaf and in the gochujang glaze.
• Grated fresh ginger – Ginger pro-tip: Always keep a piece of fresh ginger in the freezer. You can easily grate it straight from frozen with a microplane.
• Gochujang – Gochujang is a Korean fermented chili paste. It has a unique (not to mention delicious) flavor, with sweet, savory, and spicy notes. You can find it in the international aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores (I can get it at my local Walmart) or in Asian markets. You will be using it both in the meatloaf and in the gochujang glaze. Note that gochujang may or may not contain gluten, so make sure to check carefully if you plan to serve this meatloaf to someone that requires a gluten-free diet.
• Garlic
• Sesame oil – Sesame oil has a very unique, strong sesame flavor. You can find it either in the international aisle or with the other oils in most grocery stores.
• Rice vinegar – Rice vinegar is available in the international aisle or with the other vinegars in most grocery stores. You will be using it in the gochujang glaze.
• Sesame seeds – sesame seeds are optional, and only used as a garnish to sprinkle over the finished meatloaf.

Korean Beef and Mushroom Meatloaf with Gochujang Glaze Nutrition Notes