My family LOVES meatloaf. They literally beg for it once a week. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be a meatloaf superstar. I grew up really disliking my mom’s loaf. It was hard like a door stop and lacked flavor. She also used oatmeal in it….I can still remember seeing the little oats…Not appealing for a little kid. Still not now that I am an adult. But after years of tweaking and experimenting I have figured out a few tips to make sure my loaf is NOT my mama’s!
- Use milk and bread in lieu of dried bread crumbs. Hint…”dried” also is what it does to your loaf!
- Sautee veggies before cooking loaf. Makes a more tender loaf rather than crunchy.
- Eggs are a binder but also add moisture!
- Place the sauce on the bottom of pan, that way when you invert the loaf it is “pre-sauced”
So now that you have this little primer for spectacular meatloaf here is my version that will not let you feel guilty about loving your meatloaf while watching your waist.
Lean and Mean Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef, 90% lean
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 onion
- 1 can green chili, drained
- 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
- 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 slices of bread, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 2 egg whites
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 tsp Tobasco
- Pico Topping:
- 1 can black beans
- cilantro
- green onion, chopped
- 1 cup canned corn, drained
- jalapeno, chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet saute onion, garlic, red pepper and green chilis till tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl mix together the bread and milk. Allow it sit. Now using a large bowl, combine the ground beef and ground pork. Stir in the bread, milk, and eggs. Stir till mixed well. Add in the sauteed veggies to the meat mixture and just mix in till veggies are combined. Using a loaf pan, spray well with non stick spray and sprinkle with brown sugar. Using a small bowl stir together the ketchup and Tabasco. Now add the ketchup to the bottom of the pan. Spread this so it covers the bottom of the baking pan. Add in the meat and spread it evenly in the pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes.
- While meatloaf is cooking, combine the pico ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Once meatloaf is cooked, slice and top with pico.