Meatloaf

Meatloaf, we're sorry to say, is not going to win any beauty contests.

But we like meatloaf. We like that it's relatively healthy (especially if you use ground turkey), that it's fast and easy and that you can throw almost anything you want into it.

This is our version. We start with the basics, then make suggestions for ingredients to add if you have them on hand.

Rating: 3/4 assed (because of all the mincing)

Here's what you need and how you do it

1 pound ground meat

1 cup crushed or diced tomatoes

1/2 cup oatmeal

4 to 5 Tablespoons worchestershire sauce

1 cup onion, minced

1 cup celery, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon dried thyme

Ground black pepper

Ketchup

Optional additions:

1/2 cup red bell pepper

1/4 cup fresh, flat leaf parsley

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients except ketchup in a large bowl. Transfer to a loaf pan, drizzle with ketchup.

Bake for one hour.

(Keep in mind that if you go too crazy with the veggies, you'll want to add breadcrumbs to soak up excess liquid. In which case, the egg would probably be a good idea to help hold it all together.)

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Comments

[caren]

This sounds like my mom's meatloaf recipe. She used the egg! Stop by my blog - I'm having couple of giveaways!

[Kristy]

Sounds delish! My kids have an inexplicable love of my meatloaf. Since there are now nine of us in the house, I use a little over 2 1/2 lbs of ground beef, with oats for the filler. I like to make it on a broiler pan because it lets all the yucky stuff run underneath, and I can divide it into two smaller loaves for faster cooking if I need to.

[Bethany]

We were trying to figure out what to have for dinner tonight. We were going to settle for spaghetti, but meatloaf sounds really good. :D

[Suzanne]

I lurrrvvvv meatloaf. In my version, I slather the top with BBQ sauce and then cover it with strips of bacon before putting it into the oven.

It's even better then next day, cold from the fridge.

[kcinnova]

Meatloaf is a family favorite here, too!

[Amanda]

I love meatloaf too. It's such a same that we can't make it win those beauty contests. I'm going to try to make a drop-dead gorgeous meatloaf. :)

[MommyTime]

We love meatloaf in our house I always go crazy with the veggies in meatloaf (spinach and carrot also work well), so here's a trick: I grate them all using the food processor, so that they are super fine. They I sautee them with a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan until they begin to "weep." Once they've released most of their water, then I add them to the meatloaf fixings in the bowl, and it keeps them loaf itself from becoming too watery.

Another way to combat this is to scoop handfuls of the meatloaf mixture and form them into mini-individual sized loaves. Then bake them on a cookie sheet or, better yet, a slotted pan placed on top of a cookie sheet. This gives the water someplace to drain away from the loaf itself, and it means they brown nicely and cook quickly.