Everyone loves their mom’s meatloaf. It’s comfort food, childhood and fond memories in the form of a warm, delicious meat patty. What could be better?
This week I made my mom’s meat loaf with a couple minor twists. In all fairness, her’s is a loose combination of 3 other recipes.
Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs 80/20 ground beef
- 1 onion soup packet (such as Lipton’s, although I use the cheaper store brand)
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 3 eggs
- 8oz can of tomato paste
- 1 cup diced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- Several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- Several slices of Bacon (enough to cover the top)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350.
Pulse the mushrooms then onion, carrot and celery in a food processor until finely diced (or dice by hand). In a large bowl combine ground beef, soup packet, diced vegetables and tomato paste. Once incorporated add eggs then the Panko bread crumbs. Mix and form into a loaf on a greased baking sheet. (Personally, I prefer parchment paper over using non-stick spray or grease).
Cover the top of the loaf with a few strips of bacon. I opted for the fancier bacon weave as illustrated in the picture.
Bake at 350 for about an hour or until done.
Serve with a smile.
Notes
I used thick cut bacon which left it somewhat chewy even after baking for an hour. Next time I’ll weave the bacon first and allow it to bake while I prepare the meatloaf. It tasted fine and was fully cooked, we just prefer crispier bacon.
The quantities of mushrooms, onions, celery and carrots are all loose approximations.
All Things Dave 