I am posting this for Jim54:
INTRODUCTION:
Of all the meatloaf recipes, this one is the closest to actually being mine. It is a compilation of many others with my modifications. In my opinion, it is the best meatloaf that I have ever tasted... and that is saying a lot since I really do not have very discerning taste-buds. It takes about 20 min prep and 1 hour to cook.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of finely chopped onion
- ½ cup finely chopped bell pepper
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (I love garlic so use a lot more)
- 1 carrot, chopped fine
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Ketchup
- 1 ½ lbs ground chuck
- ½ lbs of Italian Sausage (I used mild but some recipes call for spicy)
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs, beaten slightly
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
- 2 slices of old bread
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
- In a large iron skillet cook the onions, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic in butter over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and stir occasionally until carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 cup of Ketchup. Cook for 1 minute. Let the mixture cool a while so that it does not cook the eggs in the step 4
- Place 2 slices of old bread in the bottom of a loaf pan. You can leave out the slices of bread but your meatloaf will have a lot of fat/oil around it.
- In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, vegetable mixture, bread crumbs, and parsley. Form into a loaf and put into the loaf pan. Cover the loaf with Ketchup.
- Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove the meatloaf from the pan and remove the slices of bread.
If you do not like Italian Sausage, you can try veal, ground pork, or ground Turkey. If you use one of these options, use a pinch of fennel seeds and half a teaspoon of hot sauce.
