Meatloaf

Meatloaf is an interesting dish to me. There seems to be a great love for it and I am always asked for recipe and a lot of people wax on poetically about how mom made it but almost no one seems to cook it these days.

If you know me you know that I don’t have recipes per say. I have ideas how to cook things. So here are a few of my ideas and I hope you can make them your own for your family.

Lets start at the meat:
I either use 1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground turkey thigh and 1/3 pork sausage. OR 2/3 ground beef and 1/3 Turkey and cover with a bacon.

“bread” filler and egg:
If you don’t have allergies smashed Ritz type crackers are great. I however have gluten intolerance so I use one of the following. Gluten free crackers, gluten free oats, rice, or gluten free bread crumbs. This usually has to do with what I have on hand in the pantry more then anything else. I also use an egg but you can either leave it out or use a substitute if you have allergies.

Veggies:
I use garlic, onions and carrots shopped super fine in a food processor. I also use a green bell pepper or celery depending again on what is in the fridge.

Flavor.:
So here is where you can get creative and go with your families likes and dislikes

Ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper, thyme.

Can of chopped tomatoes, basil, oregano,

Soy sauce and ketchup, or teriyaki sauce add Chinese five spice, garlic powder

Make sure your sauce is on the thick side and make enough o put 2/3 in the meatloaf and the other 3rd on top.

Another good tip is to make twice as much as you need for one dinner

Take a large bowl and mix the meats, filler, veggies and sauce. Your hands are the best tool for this. Once it is all mixed together, separate into two parts. Take one part and put it in a freezer ziplock bag. Squish so you get the air our of the bag. Put in freezer for a homemade meal later. Take the other and put it in a greased (I use coconut oil spray) loaf pan or on a half sheet pan with parchment paper on it. Cover with sauce and then cover with bacon if that is your wish. Cook at 375 for about an hour. I use and meat thermometer that beeps when the right temperature is met and it is AWESOME! I cannot recommend it highly enough. Serve with a big salad and mashed potatoes Enjoy 