How about a Meatloaf Night?

I love to cook. More than that, I love to cook things that make me happy when I eat them. This is probably really cliche of me, but I love having a meal on the table when my husband gets home. Not everyone gets satisfaction from that, but I find it fulfilling. Cooking is a talent that I have and that I love to cultivate. I cook for the people I love to tell them that I love them

Meatloaf is one of those dishes that I love because I can dress it up (serving it with steak sauce and roasted red potatoes) or dress down (making meatball subs). This is a recipe that I came up with after reviewing several meatloaf recipes and not finding a recipe that I liked well enough to keep using. I assume that it makes good leftovers, but I don't know for sure. I never have enough left over to find out. lol

Julia's Italian Meatloaf

1 small to medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb extra lean ground beef (alternate a higher fat ground beef for meatballs)
1 tbs Italian Seasoning (I like Pampered Chef's)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tbs salt
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce (not paste!)
1 egg
1 1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1-2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
Ketchup (0ptional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cook garlic and onion in olive oil until caramelized, cool. In a large bowl, add everything but the ketchup, combine by hand.

Press into an 8x5 loaf pan. (Lining the pan with foil or using a disposable pan before baking prevents mess.) Cook for 50-60 min.

Let the loaf rest, cover with ketchup.

This recipe also makes yummy meat balls. I usually double the recipe and add and extra egg. From there, just form the mixture into balls and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.


P.S. The couch to 5k thing is going well! I walked again last night and I'll go again today.