Mini Meatloaf

The daycare was having Sloppy Joe for lunch and the way they eat it doesn't interest anyone under three feet tall here at the farm. We defrosted more meat than the kids could eat so I decided that meatloaf sounded tastier than joe's. We have a tried and true meat loaf recipe, but it is for 1.5lbs of meat and I only had about 1lb and I didn't feel like doing a lot of crazy math to adapt it properly. I opted to "wing it".

I pulled out the big blue mixing bowl and started throwing in everything I needed.

Yum!

Meatloaf is a great place to start for "winging it". I realize that some people aren't as adventurous as us, but as long as you remember a few things about cooking ground meat you'll do fine.

1. The key to good meatloaf is moisture. You don't want dry meat. A good way to keep the moisture in is to put it there. We use carrots and onions, I've been thinking of trying some shredded zucchini and my Dad swears by raisins. We also put a bit of ketchup into our loaf to keep it from drying out.

2. Allow loaf to rest. After you take it out of the oven leave it on the counter for 5 minutes before cutting into it (don't worry, it will still be hot!). Letting it rest allows the moisture to make it's way back into the loaf after cooking. 

3. Put in what you like. As far as ingredients you can put in anything. You can substitute oats for bread or bread crumbs and Jason's grandmother puts tortilla or fritos chips in her loaf, maybe you can think of something else to put in it too. Any spice you might use on beef can go in your loaf here are a few: cumin, oregano, red pepper, cilantro, garlic, and onion powder. Use salsa, tomato puree, or spaghetti sauce instead of ketchup. Let your taste buds decide.

Grab yourself a pound of meat and get creative!

Mini Meatloaf

Loaf Ingredients:

1 egg

1 small onion - (no less that 1/2 cup no more than 1 cup)

3Tbs ketchup

1Tbs brown sugar

2Tbs shredded/grated parmesan cheese

2/3 Cup oats

1tsp "secret" ingredient (chipotle rub)

1lb beef

Sauce (optional):

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 b. sugar

1 Tbs yellow mustard

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix all ingredients for loaf, except beef, together until mixed thoroughly

3. Add beef and mix together

4. Form into 5 mini loafs 

5. Bake 20mins

6. (optional) Smother with sauce and bake 15 mins more.

7. Allow loaf to rest for 5 mins before eating