I think meatloaf has gotten a really bad reputation. It is featured lots of time on kids shows as the worst dinner imaginable - scary meatloaf striking fear into the hearts of kids eating dinner everywhere. I disagree, meatloaf can be one of the best dinner dishes around. It is a great way to sneak extra veggies into your dinner AND it allows for lots of room for pantry substitutions and leftover meatloaf is not just fantastic but makes amazing sandwiches later.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup dried bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/3 cup ketchup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread OR cracker crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5x9 inch loaf pan, OR form into a loaf and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour.
If you are looking for ways to vary the recipe a little. You can use Oats instead of the breadcrumbs. This is a pretty common substitution. And if you are wanting to boost your veggie intake you can use a can of diced tomatoes instead of the milk that the recipe calls for.
Of course, you can also add chopped veggies like carrots and bell peppers when you add the onions. Just saute the onions and chopped veggies of your choice prior to adding them to the meat mixture.
