Meatloaf

Last night I made the best meatloaf I've ever had.

Perhaps bacon may have had something to do with that?

This is the second of two posts I'm making today about food ideas for the new year. The first, Sawdust Pie, made you feel better about eating pie because you're eating not as much pie as usual. This meatloaf will make you feel good about yourself because per serving you're getting maybe 1/6 of a pound of hamburger (and who asks for a 1/6 pounder? nobody), 1/12th of a cup of parmesan cheese, 1/3 of an egg, 1/2 of a slice of bread, maybe a tablespoon of milk, and not even one piece of bacon.

Look at you being all virtuous in the kitchen, yo!

 

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman and it's straightforward, fast, and easy. I made the meatloaf last night, ate small portions of it with a similarly blown-away Jeff, and went to sleep dreaming about it. I woke up thinking about it. The texture, especially on the first day, is somehow silky and unlike ordinary hamburger. It becomes this whole other thing. The bacon of course is a major player, and that doctored-up ketchup is not to be missed. As a team they made the best meatloaf of my life, possibly yours.

Pioneer Woman says this makes 8 servings. I say it makes 12. It kicks major ass either way.

INGREDIENTS

for the meatloaf

• 1 cup milk
• 6 bread slices
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 8-12 thin bacon slices <--I think I used 9

for the tomato gravy

• 1 1/2 cup ketchup
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Dash or two of hot sauce – more if you like heat <--I added a wee squirt of Sriracha

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the milk over the bread and allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk soaked bread, Parmesan cheese, salt, seasoned salt, black pepper and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the eggs.

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until combined well.

Form the mixture into a loaf shape and place on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat from the meat to drain. Line the bottom of the pan with foil to make clean up easier.

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the tomato gravy. Pour the ketchup into a small bowl, add brown sugar and dry mustard and splash of hot sauce.

Stir the mixture until well combined. Pour one third of the tomato gravy over the top of the meatloaf.
Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another one third of the remaining tomato gravy over the meatloaf. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve with the remaining tomato gravy on the side as a dipping sauce.

Bonus unrelated recipe from Mr. White!!

 

PS Jeff just said that the meatloaf pictured at the top of this post looks like a trilobite and he's right.

Comments

[BJ]

I have been following the Pioneer Woman blog for a few years now and her recipes are always a hit in my household.

I have also loved how she has made her unexpected life work for her. (If you read her early blogs she was planning on being a suburban yuppie before she met her "cowboy" on a short visit to her home state.)

And, if you don't already know this, she has a new show on Food TV premiering on Jan 16. It is titled, aptly, "Pioneer Woman".

[Ksenija]

But the question is, did it make your skirt fly up? LOL I check her blog daily and I have her to thank for the picky eater recipes, as I have a picky eater in the house. At least her picky eaters will eat onions and bell peppers; I'm not that lucky but I work with it.

Did you catch the first season of her cooking show? The second season starts 1/14. Her life is so different...I almost went to her book signing last month but decided to wait for spring when her new cook book is released. I'm hoping she'll come a little closer to Topeka on that promotional tour. *fingers crossed*

Have you ever tried Stove Top stuffing mix in meatloaf instead of bread crumbs? It's awesome.

[Kara]

Jumped over from your sister's blog and I must say that you've earned a fan for life with your Breaking Bad references and videos, yo.

I got the Pioneer Woman's cookbook as a bridal shower gift last year and I'm OBSESSED. Like, every single recipe is fantastic.