SOUTHERN MEATLOAF RECIPE

Steps:

• Place ketchup in a small mixing bowl.
• Add brown sugar.
• Add yellow mustard.
• Stir well. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, break the bread into small pieces.
• Crumble the saltines and add to the bowl.
• Add the milk.
• Stir well to moisten the bread and saltines. Use more milk if needed. Set aside for 5 minutes.
• Chop the onions very fine. Set aside.
• Crumble the ground beef on top of the moistened bread and saltines.
• Add the lightly beaten egg.
• Add the onions.
• Add the garlic powder.
• Add the Worcestershire Sauce.
• Add the ground mustard.
• Add the black pepper.
• Gently mix all the ingredients together until fully combined.
• Place the meat mixture in a baking loaf pan.
• Press the meat firmly into the pan.
• Turn the meat mixture out onto a sheet pan that has been lined with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 350F degrees for 40 minutes.
• Pour the sauce over the top of the meatloaf, spread with a spoon to cover the top.
• Continue to bake, 15 to 20 minutes longer until meatloaf is done.
• Internal temperature should reach 160 degrees.
• Remove pan from oven, set on wire rack to cool and rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Slice as needed.
• Enjoy!

OLD-FASHIONED MEATLOAF RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat; add celery and onion, and sauté 7 minutes or just until tender.
• Stir together celery mixture, ground beef, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into a 10- x 5-inch loaf; place on a lightly greased broiler rack. Place rack in an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan.
• Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Stir together remaining 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon ketchup until blended; pour evenly over meatloaf, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until no longer pink in center. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• Note: For testing purposes only, we used Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning and Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning.

DAD'S MEATLOAF WITH TOMATO RELISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.
• Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.
• This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.
• Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.
• Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side. Unbelievably moist!

SWEET AND SIMPLE MEATLOAF SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir all ingredients together.
• If you plan to serve some at the table, set it aside before you baste the raw meatloaf.
• Baste meatloaf before and during cook time.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, ground black pepper, eggs, onion flakes and 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce. Mix together well and place into a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
• Push the meatloaf down into the pan forming a well for the sauce around all the edges.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, white sugar and mustard. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
• After meatloaf has cooked for 40 minutes, remove from oven and pour sauce over the top of the meatloaf.
• Return to oven and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 more minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before removing from pan.

CLASSIC MEATLOAF WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion, cook for 4-5 mins over a low heat, then stir in the garlic. Leave to cool completely.
• To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion, carrot and celery for 3-4 mins, then add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the passata and bring to a simmer, then season and cook for 5 mins.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Mix the cooled onion with the tomato purée, mince, egg and breadcrumbs, and season. Line a 900g loaf tin with a liner or baking parchment and pack in the meatloaf mixture. Cook for 20-25 mins or until a skewer poked into the centre feels roasting hot when pulled out. Leave to rest for 10 mins before lifting out of the tin.
• Serve slices of the meatloaf with some tomato sauce spooned over. Wrap any remaining meatloaf and use it as a sandwich filling for a lunchbox. Can be frozen for up to a month.