The Ever Versatile ...... Meatloaf / Meatballs

The Ever Versatile ......

Meatloaf / Meatballs 

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp dried thyme

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°. Heat the oil in an 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

4 tsp cider vinegar

Meanwhile, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar and set aside.

3 large eggs

1/2 cup milk, plus extra as needed

2 tsp mustard

2 tsp Worcestershire

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce®

3 lbs meatloaf mix (1 lb hamburger + 1 lb ground pork + 1 lb ground turkey)

11/2 sleeve crushed saltine crackers

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and Tabasco together.

Mix the meatloaf mix, crackers, parsley, sautéed onion mixture, and egg mixture until evenly blended and the mixture doesn't stick to the bowl (if the mixture sticks, add additional milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it no longer sticks).

Turn the meat mixture onto the foil-lined baking sheet and shape into a 9 by 5-inch loaf. Brush with half of the ketchup mixture. Bake the loaf for 45 minutes.

Brush the loaf with the remaining ketchup mixture and continue to bake until the center of the loaf measures 160° on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

This is my go to recipe for Meatloaf / Meatballs. I grew up learning to clean out the fridge to make meatloaf, Mom used to use everything from rice to potato chips as the binder in her meatloaf and over the years I have tried her method as well as bread crumbs- and I have found that my family and I prefer saltines.

Meatloaf is great the first night you make it and it makes great sandwiches the next day. I like to also use this recipe and make meatballs. There are 101 different ways to use meatballs, add them to soup, make sandwiches, on pasta, Swedish meatballs, meatballs and marinara, meatballs in bbq sauce (or Ketchup and Grape jelly), meatball sliders, meatball subs….I could keep going, this is a very versatile recipe.

This is part of a 2 part post – Tonight I made this recipe and made it into 108 mini meatballs – for 2 reasons – one for dinner tonight we are having mini meatball sliders, and probably Friday night I will use the leftovers and make "Meatball Monkey Bread". I heard or saw someone talk about it and I thought hmmmm … I wanna try that…. So that post will come later. So for tonight here is my "go to" meatloaf recipe – adapted from America’s Test Kitchens.

Have fun cookin’  

Cyndi