Meatloaf

[grannysoo]

Ingredients:

1 medium carrot / diced
2 stalks celery / diced
1 medium onion / diced
2 medium tomato / diced
2 pounds ground beef (homegrown if possible / 85% lean if from grocery store)
1 pound pork sausage (Jimmy Dean premium pork sausage in the 1 pound tube if possible)
3 eggs
½ cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
3 slices white bread (tear into small pieces and use Italian bread if available)
Salt and pepper to taste

Glaze

Ketchup for base
Balsamic vinegar to thin consistency

Cooking Instructions
Mix all ingredients in meatloaf, mold freeform onto large baking sheet. Cover with glaze and bake for 1 hour @ 425 degrees.

Tips
Do not try to cheat and cut up vegetables in blender. Dice them up in small pieces with the knife.

Do not make this meatloaf in the pan like you have always done. Form it up on the baking sheet!!!

Do not used canned vegetables and do not use cheap sausage.

Do not use sausage links, patties or anything like that. Use ground sausage that is just like ground hamburger meat. If you buy hamburger meat at the store, do not use the meat from Walmart. The Walmart hamburger meat is "stringy" and tough.

Complimentary foods
This is a fantastic centerpiece for a meal consisting of meatloaf, mashed potato with brown gravy, and small field peas. I'll post the best mashed potato recipe that you've ever tasted to go along with this.

If you think that you don't like meatloaf, make this anyway. You won't regret it!

My oldest son told me he "hated" meatloaf. Now the question for dear ole' dad is "when you making meatloaf again? :nod:

 

[Jogeephus]

If its got Jimmy Dean sausage in it its got to be good.

 

[bigbull338]

well i love meatloaf.an you just made me hungry for meatloaf again.i need to try yours.

 

[Jogeephus]

Made the meatloaf last night! Made it just like the recipe - no shortcuts. It was delicious! Definitely better than any meatloaf I've ever had. Thanks. (I like the taste and the ease of preparation)

 

[1982vett]

I'd say adding the sausage is what makes it better. I like the results of adding about 1/2 pound of (sorry it's not Jimmy's) Owens Hot Sausage to about pound of hamgurger meat and make the patties. Seems to be the same ratio Grannysoo's meatloaf.

 

[Jogeephus]

Yeah, the sausage gives it another dimension of taste but the vegetables add another twist to it as well. I think you could play around with this a little and come up with some good variations. I'm thinking diced new potatoes or even some diced mushrooms would be good too. But the recipe is really good and its best not to eat it around your momma cause you might want to slap her. :lol2:

 

[1982vett]

I grate carrots into a lot of things you wouldn't normaly find them in. Seems to give a natural sweetness to things and help keep from drying out of ground meat. Looks pretty too. :roll: :lol: I overuse mushroom too, because I like them.

I'm more of a "one-pot-wonder" type of cook. This recipe looks really good. Probably would make good meatballs too.

 

[grannysoo]

Yeah, the sausage gives it another dimension of taste but the vegetables add another twist to it as well. I think you could play around with this a little and come up with some good variations. I'm thinking diced new potatoes or even some diced mushrooms would be good too. But the recipe is really good and its best not to eat it around your momma cause you might want to slap her. :lol2:

I have tested many different things in this mix. Mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, squash, zucchini, and more. My official taste testers (wife/kids/parents) all agree. Stick with this and don't touch it. Don't change it, don't add to it.

To each his own, but this recipe works! If you can make it better, more power to you. Bring the successful results back here to share. :clap:

 

[1982vett]

How about if we cooked the taters, carrots, and mushrooms on the side? Would that be allowed?

 

[1982vett]

Made the meatloaf last night! Made it just like the recipe - no shortcuts. It was delicious! Definitely better than any meatloaf I've ever had. Thanks. (I like the taste and the ease of preparation)

I'll say ditto to that. I made it this evening, as instructed (didn't add garlic or mushrooms ) on a cookie sheet, not a corning dish like Mom use to use. Didn't put the veggies on the side either, didn't want them to affect cooking time on the meatloaf. Might give it a try at a later date. The glaze was a nice surprise, not as sour as I thought it would have been and stayed thick, I figured it would have been kind of runny. Might have to try it with some other meats, on the BBQ maybe.

Thinking about meatloaf sandwiches. How does toasted vienna roll with garlic butter, string cheese or maybe provolone, and meatloaf sound? Might be able to slip them sauteed mushrooms in too.

 

[grannysoo]

How about if we cooked the taters, carrots, and mushrooms on the side? Would that be allowed?

Anything is allowed. All I ask is if you come up with a better recipe, then just share it back with me. When I make meatloaf, we complete the meal with mashed taters and field peas with onions. The meatloaf and taters are covered with brown gravy. How 'bout we add mushrooms to the brown gravy and then we are in total agreement on a great meal.

One thing I love about cooking is the ability to experiment to find what's best.

 

[Jogeephus]

No doubt this meatloaf is about as good as it gets but my wife loves bell pepper. She'd eat bell peppers if they were on her Cheerios. I gotta try some of those in it as I am sure it will make it better - for her anyway.