Meat free Monday…. no thanks… meatloaf Monday however….I really love this recipe!
We always have leftovers for sandwiches the next day! This is also a great meatball recipe too! Get the kids involved mashing the ingredients together or making the meatballs! Variations available at the bottom of recipe! BBQ meatloaf or Cheese Stuffed!
Serves 4 (maybe some leftovers)
Ingredients for meatloaf:
Splash of olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely diced
3 bacon, roughly chopped
3 mushrooms, finely diced
400g low fat beef mince (can use a mix of pork and beef or turkey mince)
60g stale/end pieces white bread, blitzed to breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 htbsp parsley
3 htbsp ketchup
1 tsp paprika
6tbsp milk
Splash Worcestershire (optional)
1/2tsp salt
1 tsp course ground pepper
Tomato Sauce:
Splash of olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 celery, finely diced
1 carrot (optional)
600g passata/chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp sugar/sweetner
1 tbsp dried herbs (optional- basil/thyme)
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp parlsey
Pinch salt
1 tso course ground pepper
Parmesan Breadcrumb topping (optional/nice topping for any baked dish):
20g breadcrumbs
20g parmesan/cheese
1 htsp dried parsley
Pinch of salt and 1/2tsp course pepper
Method:
Preheat oven to 180’c
In a frying pan, gently fry the onions, garlic, bacon and mushrooms in the olive oil until softened, around 5-10mins. Let cool, until comfortable to handle (around 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, place all the other meat loaf ingredients in a bowl. Add cooled fried onion mix and get mixing until well combined! Lay out onto chopping board and make into a large log shape (*or meatballs if making).
(**See variations if using)
To make the sauce, gently fry the onions, garlic, celery, carrot in a little olive oil until softened. Add all over sauce ingredients and bring upto a gently simmer, leave to gently cook for 10 minutes. Blitzed until smooth. I like mine smooth but by all means leave the veggies visible!
In a heat proof oven dish, spoon a few spoonfuls of the tomato sauce on the bottom and spread out for meatloaf to sit ontop of. Place meatloaf ontop of sauce and cover in more or the tomato sauce.
(***See variations if using)
Over with foil carefully and place into oven on lower middle shelf and cook for 40 minutes. If using breadcrumb topping, mix all ingredients together and after 40minutes sprinkle over the top and cook for a further 5-7minutes until golden. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to firm up. I generally turn the oven off and leave my plates inside with the door slightly a jar to warm through- they will need oven gloves!
I serve mine with warmed up extra tomato sauce, mash and vegetables. (Any leftover tomato sauce can be frozen and used for pasta dishes, pizza bases… whatever you fancy. It will also last 4 days in the fridge).
Variations:
• *If making meatballs, roll into golf ball sized balls. Roast in the oven for 20minutes, stirring occasionally, add tomato sauce after 20minutes, coating meatballs and cook for a further 20minutes
** If doing a cheese stuffed meatloaf, once you have mixed the mest mixture, divide into two sausage shape pieces, make a long dent in one and stuff pieces cubes or cheese or mozzarella (I secretly like the cheap burger cheese slices), lay other mince sausage over the too and seal edges. Continue with recipe
*** If you aren’t keen on Italian tomato sauce, cook the meatloaf for 40minutes, then uncover and cook for a further 10minutes.
*** If you would like a BBQ one, add 2tbsp bbq seasoning to mix and swap ketchup for bbq sauce, cook for 40minutes, uncover and squeeze over more bbq sauce to cover the top, cook for further 10 minutes.
Why not go all out wrap and wrap in streaky bacon!!!!
Emmi's Kitchen 