Let's make Meatloaf!

Meatloaf. Yum. Sorry, Elizabeth. This is probably the most un-vegetarian meal ever. I have made many meatloaves (meatloafs, meatloaves?) since I have been married. My most unspectacular attempt was the time that I used terribly not lean meat and packed it into a loaf pan, which resulted in a disgusting mess that very closely resembled dog food. Ugh. This, however, is my most spectacular meatloaf. Brad says that when I leave him and move on with my next husband, I have to promise to leave the recipe. We'll see Brad, we'll see.

You are going to need 2 lbs. of lean ground beef (or ground round), 2 or 3 Hot Italian Sausage links, one large onion, 1 green pepper (which I didn't have), 2 T. butter, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, 2 eggs, 3/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, 3/4 c. Italian breadcrumbs, 1 c. ketchup, 1/2 c. brown sugar, squirt of Worcestershire and squirt of mustard.

Dice your onion and green pepper, which is sadly missing, and throw them in a skillet with about 2 Tablespoons of butter. I hate when the onion is all crunchy and rough edged in a meatloaf. I like it to be soft and well seasoned. Oh wait, we need some seasoning.

That is much better. I happen to love spices, all spices, so I added in quite a bit. Keep in mind that you are flavoring a lot of meat, so don't worry if your onions look like they are drowning in basil. They are going to flavor the meatloaf from the inside out. I used salt, pepper, basil and oregano, but you can use whatever you like. Cook the onions (and theoretical green bell peppers) just until they are translucent, about 8 minutes over medium heat.


If you don't live in the middle of nowhere, like I do, you should be able to buy Italian Sausage by the pound. Since I can't, I just buy the links. I slice them open and remove the sausage from inside the casing. Throw away the casing. I used 3 links of the Hot Italian Sausage, but you can use however many links you would like and you can use regular, not hot, Sausage if that works better for you.

Add the Lean Ground Beef and Italian Sausage to a large bowl.

Add your seasoned onions (and imaginary green bell peppers).

Also add in the 3/4 c. each of Parmesan cheese and Italian Bread Crumbs along with the 2 eggs.

And mix. Don't let me catch you using a spoon! You have to use your hands. It's the Meatloaf law.

No, not that Meatloaf. Although, it might be his law, I'm not sure.

Alright, we've mixed, now let's loaf. Butter the bottom of a glass Pyrex pan and use your best Elementary School Playdoh skills to make a loaf-ish shape. I won't judge, just throw it in there.

Brad happens to be a very big fan of the ketchup/brown sugar glaze, so I add that to the top. Just add 1 c. ketchup and 1/2-ish cup of packed light brown sugar to a bowl. Throw in a dash of Worcestershire and some mustard just because we can. Mix together and Voila! you have made glaze. Spread over the top of your meatloaf creation.

If you need more glaze, make more. If you want it sweeter, add more brown sugar. If you are anti-Worcestershire because no one can agree on how to pronounce it, leave it out. That is what makes Meatloaf so amazing, you can do pretty much anything to it and it will forgive you.

Bake at 350 degrees for an hour. You can see from this picture that Brad dove right in before I could take a picture. Nice. Serve with mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, macaroni and cheese and some rolls. Be loved and adored by your family. Refuse to do dishes because you are amazing. Hey, it works at my house.