MEATLOAF

With just a few basic ingredients you can create a meatloaf for dinner and use the leftovers for sandwiches. The recipe is the same as the Meatball recipe but is shaped into a loaf and covered with a tomato relish.

DO AHEAD: mix everything together, shape into loaves the day before, chill in the refrigerator and pop into the oven for dinner the next night. Add 10 minutes to the baking time to compensate for the colder meat mixture, or set the uncooked loaves out for a few minutes before baking and bake at the times listed below.

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For a printable version of this recipe without photos click here.

MEATLOAF

Ingredients:  *cut recipe in half for one loaf

4 lbs ground beef (10-15 percent fat content)

1 onion

3-4 cloves garlic

2 cups bread crumbs

3/4 - 1 cup milk

1 cup finely grated paremsan cheese

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon each: dried thyme, dried poultry seasoning, dried oregano, dried basil

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 eggs

3 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce

4 Tablespoons tomato paste

juice of half a lemon

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Measure the bread crumbs in a large measuring cup and pour enough milk over to just moisten them, not make them soggy. Set aside.

Put the beef in a large bowl. Prep and add the following ingredients:

Finely chop the onion

Grate the cheese

Measure the spices

Push the garlic through a garlic press

Add the eggs and Worchestershire sauce, tomato paste and lemon juice. Add the moistened bread crumbs.

Squeeze lemon over all and using your clean hands, mix everything together.

Once it's mixed together, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Lightly oil two 9x12 inch baking pans. I use glass, but you can use metal if that's what you have.

Shape the meat into two equal size loaves, approximately eight inches long, four inches wide by two to three inches tall. Create a shallow indent along the top center of each loaf.

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. WHile the meatloaf is in the oven, make the tomato relish on top of the stove. (recipe follows at end)

After about 10 minutes, take the meat loaves out of the oven and spread some of the tomato relish on top of each loaf. Reserve the remaining tomato relish to use when you serve and on leftovers.

Return to oven and continue baking for another 25 to 35 minutes. Use a thermometer and when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees, it is done.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before you cut and serve. Enjoy with some hearty mashed potatoes and a green vegetable and you have a great meal! Pour some of the warm tomato relish over the sliced meatloaf and use it cold on a sandwich for lunch.

TOMATO RELISH

Slightly tangy, a little spicy, kinda sweet with a little kick. Good topping for meatloaf and can be used on pork or chicken as well. This is not a marinade, but is a topping or sauce.

For a printable version of this recipe without photos, click here.

Ingredients:

In a medium saucepan combine the following ingredients and stir well over low heat:

2 Tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chili sauce (or ketchup if you absolutely must)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

pinch of salt

pinch of black pepper

2-3 drops Tabasco sauce 

Melt the butter and add the garlic, stir. Add the vinegar and sugar and stir.

 

Mix together all the remaining ingredients and pour into the saucepan and stir to combine.

Heat slowly over low flame. Spoon over the meatloaf and finish baking. See above. Serve warm over sliced meatloaf and use cold on a sandwich.

Meatloaf





How many different meatloaf recipes have you tried and liked? This is probably about the tenth recipe I have tried and closest to what I think a meatloaf should be. What variations have you sampled? Tell us about it, leave a comment below.