Meatloaf Is The Solution For Beef Wellington On A Budget

With its layers of duxelles, puff pastry, and beef, there are a lot of steps that go into making beef Wellington. But on top of its tedious cooking process, beef Wellington is also expensive. The dish typically calls for beef tenderloin, the tender cut of beef that filet mignon comes from, in addition to pricey prosciutto. With these high-priced meats, beef Wellington isn't exactly budget-friendly. However, there's still a way you can enjoy it without having to overspend.

As model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen shared in her cookbook, "Cravings: All Together," substituting meatloaf for the beef tenderloin in a beef Wellington can actually work pretty well. It won't taste exactly like the classic, but it can definitely satisfy a craving, especially since all of the other components are the same. Whereas you can generally expect to pay $20 to $30 per pound of beef tenderloin, using ground beef in your Wellington instead will only cost you around $5 to $6 per pound.

In addition to being cheaper, meatloaf also has the advantage of being easier to work with. If you've ever attempted to make beef Wellington the traditional way, you know that one of the biggest challenges is ensuring the beef tenderloin is cooked properly. That's because there are two rounds of cooking involved. First, you have to brown it in a pan, which can be hard to do evenly, unless you tie it up with twine so it holds its shape. Then, once the meat gets wrapped in the prosciutto, duxelles, and puff pastry, it goes into the oven to finish cooking. If the oven is set at the wrong temperature, or the tenderloin wasn't cooked long enough beforehand, this could easily lead to a beef Wellington that has a perfectly golden outer crust, but an overcooked inside.

When you use meatloaf, on the other hand, you forgo all of these challenges because meatloaf doesn't require any pre-cooking, and it holds its shape without twine. All you have to do is make meatloaf like you normally would, assemble your Wellington, and put it in the oven. You can also cook it to an internal temperature of 160 degrees without it becoming tough (the same temperature for a beef tenderloin would be considered well-done).

Meatloaf Wellington may be cheaper and more foolproof to make, but the taste and texture will be noticeably different. While you can't exactly change the texture of ground beef to resemble tenderloin, there's more flexibility when it comes to flavor. Beef tenderloin on its own is actually very bland, so it relies on ingredients including mustard and foie gras to give it more flavor in a Wellington. By pairing your meatloaf with these same ingredients, you can make it taste more like a beef Wellington and less like a classic meatloaf.

Of course, replicating the taste of a traditional beef Wellington is by no means a requirement, and you can take creative liberties with your meatloaf flavoring. Chrissy Teigen, for example, recommends using Thanksgiving stuffing mix instead of breadcrumbs to make the meatloaf even juicier. You can use a tried-and-true meatloaf recipe with flavors like garlic and thyme, or take some inspiration from meatloaf variations from around the world. Just keep in mind that too much extra moisture can make the puff pastry of the Wellington soggy, so you may want to stay away from common meatloaf additives like ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and milk. Ultimately, if you like meatloaf as much as you like beef Wellington, you can't go wrong with this cheaper variation.