Meat Loaf

Sunday Meat Loaf

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Serves 6-8

A favorite Sunday dinner the children look forward to!  It is baked free-form, so it is much healthier.

Glaze:

½ C ketchup (look for HFCS free)*

¼ C brown sugar

4 tsp cider vinegar

Meat Loaf:

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, medium-sized, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 eggs, large

½ tsp dried thyme

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

¼ tsp Tabasco sauce, or Red Hot

½ C whole milk or thin plain yogurt

2 lb ground beef (or combo beef/lamb)

2/3 C crushed Saltine crackers (or quick oats, or 1 1/3 C fresh bread crumbs)

½ C minced fresh parsley

1.     For the glaze:  mix all ingredients in a small saucepan and set aside.

2.     For the meatloaf:  Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Heat oil in medium skillet.  Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened (about 5 minutes).  Set aside to cool.

3.     Put meat in large mixing bowl.

4.     In medium bowl, mix eggs, thyme, salt, black pepper, mustard, Worchestershire sauce, hot sauce, and milk in a medium bowl.  Add egg mixture to meat, along with crackers, parsley and cooked onion and garlic.  Mix with fork until evenly blended, and meat does not stick to bowl (if the mixture sticks, add more milk, a couple of Tablespoons at a time, until it no longer sticks).

5.     Turn meat mixture onto work surface.  With wet hands, pat mixture into a loaf shape approximately 9 x 5 inches.  Place on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (do NOT bake in loaf pan—it will be too greasy).  Brush with half the glaze.

6.     Bake loaf for 1 hour, or until internal temperature is about 160º.  Cool for 20 minutes.  Simmer remaining glaze over medium heat until thickened slightly.  Slice meat loaf and serve with the rest of the glaze passed separately.

*High Fructose Corn Syrup-FREE ketchup is available in most grocery stores now.