Meatloaf

Not long after Mike and I moved in together we decided to try cooking a meal together (seemed like a grown up, couplily thing to do). This was the recipe we chose. It's evolved a little over the years but it remains a favorite. We still like to make this one together, and it's a hit now that there are little chefs in the kitchen who like to help too. 📷

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Ingredients

1/2 cup ketchup 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice, divided 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 2 pounds ground beef 1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1 egg, beaten 1 packet beef bouillon granules

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mustard powder.

3. In a separate large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread, onion, egg, bouillon, remaining lemon juice and 1/3 of the ketchup mixture from the small bowl.

4. Mix this well and place in a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour, drain any excess fat, coat with remaining ketchup mixture and bake for 10 more minutes.

Retrospective

Baked potatoes work well with the timing for this recipe. Heat the oven to 350 and get the potatoes in, set the kitchen timer for 90 minutes. Then prep. the meatloaf and when the timer is down to 60 minutes add it to the oven. When the timer goes off, add the last of the ketchup mixture and reset the timer for another 10 minutes (more if the potatoes look like they need it). This work work well with roasted Brussels's sprouts too but that might be a tight fit in the oven.