Mucho Meatloaf

I was in the mood for meatloaf the other night. I was really hungry and felt like experimenting so I threw together a bunch of ingredients and made a big meatloaf; hence the title "Mucho Meatloaf" because there was a lot of good stuff in there and there was a lot of meatloaf to go around. While the meatloaf was cooking, I also made a lot of Cheddar-Garlic Smashed Potatoes to go with it. I love making big meals because they make lots of leftovers. A meatloaf sandwich the next day, served on whole wheat bread with Dijon mustard, is just about the best lunch in the whole world.

I like to cook everyday kind of family meals--nothing fancy or pretentious for me--just good, homey, comfort food. If I were to invite you over for dinner, I'd probably make you meatloaf. I love meatloaf. It's a wonderful comfort food and it has my favorite ingredient: hamburger. I have two favorite meatloaf recipes--which I'll share in another post or two--but I like to change things around once in a while just to keep life interesting. Meatloaf recipes are so versatile. You can put just about anything you want in a meatloaf and you don't have to worry about whether it will turn out okay because it always does.

Mucho Meatloaf

1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1 stalk celery, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 (8 oz.) container button mushrooms, chopped
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium egg
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 heaping T. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 T. dried oregano
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce, divided
2 T. Worcestershire sauce, divided
2 T. tomato paste
3 T. ketchup
3 strips turkey bacon, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 12-inch skillet with butter flavored nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat.

When the pan is hot, add the onion, red bell pepper, carrot, and celery. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are limp.

Add the garlic and mushrooms. Saute for one more minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to let the veggies cool a bit before you mix them in with the meat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, parsley, oregano, 2/3 of the tomato sauce, 1 T. Worcestershire, tomato paste, and ketchup. Add the reserved veggies. Mix really well. There's no getting around it; you have to get your hands into the mix.

Plop the mixture into a 9 x 5 glass baking dish. Smooth out the top
a bit. Place the slices of turkey bacon evenly over the top, put the meatloaf into the oven and let it cook for 30 minutes to crisp the bacon.

While the meatloaf is cooking, mix the remaining 1/3 of the tomato sauce and the remaining 1 T. of Worcestershire together in a small bowl. Take the meatloaf out of the oven and spread the tomato sauce mixture on top. Return to the oven and cook for 30 to 45 more minutes.

When you take the meatloaf out of the oven--when it's finished cooking--let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This will actually make the meatloaf warmer than when you first took it out of the oven and it also makes slicing the meatloaf into uniform pieces easier that won't fall apart.


Cheddar-Garlic Smashed Potatoes

6 red potatoes, scrubbed (leave the skin on) and cut into chunks (butter reds are the best)
1/2 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 T. dried minced garlic
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large saucepan filled halfway with water over high heat. When the water boils, add the potatoes and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are soft. Drain in a colander and return to the pan. Add the Cheddar cheese, garlic, sour cream, butter, and milk. Smash the potatoes to a coarse consistency. Chunks are good here. Take a taste, then season to your liking with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To make my meatloaf meal complete, I also served green beans topped with shredded Cheddar cheese.

It was a mucho good dinner! And I have lots of leftovers!