The recipe below is actually called "Very Best Meatloaf Recipe," and though I can't definitely say that it's the very best of all, it certainly has proved to be a favorite among our family and friends. It came from a great recipe book I have called "Don't Panic--Dinner's in the Freezer".
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. thyme
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup dry, unseasoned breadcrumbs
2-1/2 tsp. salt (I use garlic salt instead of regular salt)
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 lbs. ground meat (original recipe calls for beef, pork, and veal, but I used 3 lbs. ground beef)
Saute onion in oil, adding garlic and thyme after the onion has become somewhat translucent. Combine milk, egg, and ketchup. Stir in bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Crumble in meat and add onion mixture. Mix until well combined. Form into loaves, either to freeze or to bake that day. (I usually choose to freeze one loaf and bake the other.)
On the baking day, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake the meatloaf for 1-1/2 hours. During the last half hour, mix another 1/2 cup ketchup and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar for each meatloaf that you're baking. Add to the top of the loaf and bake for the last half hour.
(The cookbook also gives instructions for wrapping the loaves to freeze, first in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil, using the loaf pan as a mold. Then you can remove the wrapped loaf from your mold and freeze it in a freezer bag. You can use the frozen loaves for future meals on busy days or you can do what I did last week and give the loaf to a friend in need, such as after a major surgery or after delivery a baby, or during a time of grief.)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Very Best Meatloaf Recipe
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8 comments:
I love meatloaf! :) I usually just look in my fridge and throw all sorts of stuff into it - never using a recipe! It never quite tastes the same. lol.
Hi Shorty...I cook like that, too...using whatever I have on hand. In fact, I think there's really an art to doing that. I'm very blessed to have had my mother's help with learning that art. We didn't live far from a store, but we tried to use what we had on hand to make something appealing and nutritious.
Sad thing is, I never learned how to cook until I was out on my own. Oh, my mother sure tried to hogtie me to the kitchen to teach me but I would rather have spent my days out with my dad working on the cars and building stuff. (I was such a tomboy in so many ways!) I never learned a thing in the kitchen. It wasn't until I was out on my own that I realized I had to cook to survive! lol. Now, I can go to a restaurant, taste something, and go home and recreate the same dish. I have a TON of spices and I just do the sniff test to figure out what to throw into my concoctions. ;)
Well, even if you didn't learn in childhood, Shorty, it sounds like you've really done well learning about cooking since then. And it also sounds like you're more brave than I am when it comes to adding new seasonings. I tend to start from a recipe and then modify as needed according to what I have on hand in the kitchen and what I know has worked well other times...Oh, and regarding the email button on the blog, I guess it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who is still figuring things out. I hope that you have a great weekend!
Karen,
I'm sorry. No, there is not a crust. The instruction did say that there was. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I'm sure it was confusing!
Hope you have a great weekend, too! I obviously have to work. Last night was quite the night - I almost had to use deadly force. That is a story in itself! I will be glad when summer is over and things calm down. It always seems that there is more violence during the hot summer months compared to the cold winter months.
Thank you again, Tracy. I made your recipe for lunch today, and it was wonderful! Definitely a keeper! :-)
Shorty, I'm sorry to hear about the violence. May the Lord bless and protect you.
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