We haven't had it in a while so that's what we are having for Lunch (aka dinner). Normally I prep everything the night before. But this is such an easy recipe, and one Lil Man can help me with. What kid would pass up a chance to squoosh meat?! I used "My Favorite Meatloaf" Recipe by The Pioneer Woman as my base/starting point. But as you know, I am trying to learn & experiment in my cooking adventures, so I will be making adjustments. So let's get started on this yummy cooking adventure!
**The layout of this post is gonna be a little different than normal. I am trying some different formats. Please be patient
2. Lil Man using the Pampered Chef Chopper to cut the veggies. I love that chopper!
3. All chopped and ready to go!
***Notice the Walmart bag in pic 1? I hang the grocery bag over the drawer in front of the cutting mat so I can just scoop garbage straight into the bag for quick & easy clean-up as I go.
I hate getting everything all over my hands. II know some people find it soothing or something. I am definitely NOT one of those people. So I got it mixed about 3/4 of the way and then happily let Lil Man take over. Of course, he had a great time.
It turned out really TASTY! We had 4 Cheeses & Rice on the side. I will admit, it came out of a box. I was running out of time and got desperate for a side dish. Lil Man was quite proud of all the work he did to help make Lunch!
Ingredients
- Meatloaf:
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 6 slices White Bread
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 1 pound Sausage
- 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese- you know me...I used cheese from a bag. In fact, I used the Italian Cheeses leftover from the Cheese Topped Pork Chops Adventure last week.
- 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
- 3/4 teaspoons Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 3-5 cups Raw Spinach chopped very small -all about hiding the super veggies
- 1 Green Bell Pepper chopped small chunks
- 1 small onion chopped small chunks
- 4 whole Eggs, Beaten
- 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon- We didn't have any bacon..sadness, sniff sniff sigh
- Sauce:
- 1 cup Ketchup
- 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- Tabasco & Worcestershire Sauce to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.
2) Place the ground meats, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and veggies in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.
3) Mix the ingredients by hand until well combined. -Do I need to remind you to make sure your hands are extra clean for this part? And don't forget to remove jewelry/watches
4) Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)---Couldn't find my broiler pan, so we went old school & just put it in a Loaf Pan.
5) Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf. - No bacon today...so sad
Make the sauce:
1) add ketchup, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire/hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together.
2) Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon/loaf. Spread with a spoon.
3) Bake for abt 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top.
4) Bake for 15 more minutes.
5) Slice and serve with remaining sauce.