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Hearty Meatloaf

Meatloaf is basically a mix of ground beef (and perhaps pork, veal or lamb) with breading, vegetables eggs, and sauce. It's true comfort food.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword comfort food, ground beef meal, meatloaf
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp cooking il
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
  • 1.5 - 2 lb beef, or a mix of beef, pork and/or veal
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs or oatmeal or crackers
  • 2/3 cup ketchup, barbecue sauce or tomato based chili sauce
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 4 or 5 mushrooms, chopped well but not too finely
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper, freshly gorund if you can

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325F

  2. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan, or use a cast iron skillet or pie dish to shape the loaf in the center. It can be round, rectangular or oval. It all cooks the same.

  3. Mix with a large wooden spoon, fork or with your hands to just blend together. Do not mix to hard or compact the meat.

  4. Place in the loaf pan or shape to your desire in an open pan.

  5. Bake 1 – 1.5 hours until the internal temperature is 160F.

    Pour off any excess fat, and let stand to rest 10-15 minutes. (Make the gravy now!)

Recipe Notes

Meatloaf mix should be handled carefully, and not compacted, otherwise it can turn into a very dense loaf. It can be glazed halfway through cooking with barbecue or ketchup.  Some people like to wrap the top in bacon before cooking, which adds lots of bacon-y goodness and a crispy crust to the outside.

It should not be overcooked - use a thermometer to check the internal temperature and remove from the oven when it reaches 160F.  Let it rest, just like  a steak, after cooking so the juices evenly distribute back through the loaf.