GranNini's Meatloaf

GranNini's Naked Meatloaf

One of the first meals I made for my hubby when we were dating a gajillion years ago was meatloaf.  He wanted nothing to do with the idea of eating meatloaf.  He feared it would be dry and tasteless.  I snorted, and told him he didn't have to eat it if he didn't want to, but that's what I was making.  And if he wanted to eat my homemade meal, he was welcome to do so. Otherwise he could fix something for himself.  An hour later, he was sniffing his way into my kitchen.  As I sliced off a piece of meatloaf, ladling on my ketchup sauce and plopping on a dollop of fluffy garlic mashed potatoes, he started drooling.  I smirked, handed him my beautiful plate of tasty deliciousness, and served up another.  After five minutes of yummy noises and an empty plate, he exclaimed in a somewhat incredulous voice, "But that wasn't dry and tasteless at all!  That was delicious!!"  I laughed.  

Of course it was delicious.  I made it.

So here's the recipe for my naked meatloaf.

Recipe

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, finely diced

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (NOT green), finely diced

4 mushrooms, finely diced

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 can Campbell's French Onion soup

Cooking Spray

Ketchup Sauce

1 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

2 to 3 Tablespoons brown sugar (start out with 2 Tablespoons, taste for sweetness, and add more if you prefer a sweeter sauce.)

Meatloaf Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sauté the onions, peppers, and mushrooms with the olive oil until they are nice and soft.
3. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, the sautéed vegetables, the beaten egg, the bread crumbs and the parmesan cheese.  Slowly stir in 1/2 the can of onion soup.  Mix all these ingredients together.
4. Lightly spray a large bread pan with cooking spray.  Slowly pour in the raw meat mixture into the bread pan, and then smooth down the top.
5. Carefully pour the last half of the can of onion soup onto the top of the meatloaf.
6. If you prefer to have your ketchup sauce baked on top of your meatloaf, spread your ketchup sauce on now, and then move on to step 7.  If you prefer your sauce on the side, skip this step.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the meat is thoroughly cooked, and no pink is left.  Serve while piping hot.

Sauce Directions

Some people like to have their ketchup sauce poured directly on top of the meatloaf, and baked together.  In our house, we prefer them baked separately, with the ketchup served on the side.  If you prefer to have your sauce baked on top of your meatloaf, simply add your mixed, unbaked sauce onto your unbaked meatloaf before placing your meatloaf in the oven.  If you prefer your sauce on the side, pop your meatloaf in the oven, and then proceed to make your ketchup sauce.

1. As soon as you pop your meatloaf, start making your sauce.
2. In a small baking dish, mix all ingredients together.  Taste for sweetness, and add more brown sugar if you'd like your ketchup sauce to be a bit sweeter.
3. Bake in the oven until the meatloaf is finished.  Serve a scoop on the side (or on top!) of your meatloaf.  Enjoy!

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For those of you who like the pictures

 Sauté your veggies.

 Add your veggies to a large mixing bowl.

 Add in your dry ingredients, your meat, and your egg 

(I forgot to beat it first.  Oops!)

 Mix everything all together.

 Squish everything together into a lightly greased bread pan, and then smooth the top. 

Then drizzle on the last 1/2 of the can of French Onion Soup.  

Pop it in the 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Mmmmmmmm.  Meatloaf.  Mmmmmmmm.

For the sauce, this is what it looks like when it's mixed together, but unbaked.

 All done.  Tasty!!!

Naked Meatloaf.  It may not look fabulous, but it tastes SOOOOO yummy!

I serve my meatloaf with fluffy garlic mashed potatoes, sweet ketchup sauce on the side, and corn.  Just in case you were wondering. 

Enjoy!

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