BEST MEAT LOAF
Taste of Home pg. 79
Yum! Yum! Uses bacon and has a relish on top. Tasted similar to the one I got off the food network. It is fast and easy. Has ingredients I normally have on hand.
DAD'S MEATLOAF WITH TOMATO RELISH
This came from the Food Network - Tyler's Ultimate. This takes awhile to prepare, but is so worth it. If Scott sees me making meatloaf he always asks if this is the one I am making. It it isn't he is disappointed.
Tomato Relish:
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12 oz) bottle ketchup
1 T Worcestershire sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
MEATLOAF:
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2# ground beef
1# ground pork
2 eggs
leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 bacon slices
Preheat oven to 350. Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.
Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.
This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.
Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9" long and about 4" wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.
Bake the meatloaf for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon brown evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve the remaining tomato relish on the side. Unbelievably moist!!
ZUCCHINI MEAT LOAF
Everyone loved this meat loaf including Jenna who was over for dinner. Got this recipe from Fabulessly Frugal.
MEAT LOAF:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2-3 cups shredded zucchini (1-2 small)
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-2# ground beef
TOPPING: (I doubled the below ingredients and thought it was just right)
1 T brown sugar
2 T ketchup
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
-Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl (used big silver), mix all the meat loaf ingredients until well blended. Press mixture into ungreased 9 1/2" deep dish glass pie plate (used 8x8 pyrex). Bake 35 minutes.
-Meanwhile, mix topping ingredients in a small bowl.
-Remove meat loaf from oven; pour off drippings. Spread on topping and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cooked in center and thermometer reads 160.
-Drain off dripping again.
-Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Miranda Lambert's Mama’s Meatloaf
This was really good. I added 2 cups of shredded zucchini. I doubled the ketchup/brown sugar mixture. Baked on a cookie sheet on top of tin foil.
The new book
Country Music’s Greatest Eats, from
Southern Living and CMT, features delectable dishes from musicians’ kitchens. Here’s one of Miranda Lambert’s favorites.
Mama's Meatloaf
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork sausage
- 18 saltine crackers, crushed
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
- ½ cup ketchup
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 8 ingredients and ¼ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl just until blended.
Place mixture in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish, and shape mixture into a 10- x 5-inch loaf. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and drain. Stir together ketchup and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar; pour over meatloaf. Bake 15 more minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 160°F.
Remove from oven; let stand 20 minutes. Remove from baking dish before slicing.
