I followed a recipe for meatloaf last night. It was good, but it just didn’t seem right somehow. It caused me to think about meatloaf in general. It’s comfort food. And personal. My guess is that most cooks have their own version of meatloaf that their families accept as the way it should be.

My meatloaf has evolved over the years. The current version is half vegetable. I usually have leftover roasted vegetables in the refrigerator that I simply dice. If I don’t, I’ll chop some onions, peppers, mushroom, carrots (whatever I have) into a fine dice and sauté the mix in a little olive oil until softened. This emphasis on vegetables eliminates half of the meat and produces a lighter, healthier dish.
This could certainly be doubled for a larger meatloaf.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound hamburger
1 scant tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup Panko
2 TBS milk
1/2 cup roasted (or sautéed ) vegetables, chopped
2 TBS ketchup
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. ground sage ( or your choice of herb )
1/4 tsp. dry thyme (or your choice of herb)
1 egg

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix lightly, but well.
2. Form into a loaf on a sheet pan covered with foil or parchment.
3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Note: I’ve posted a similar recipe using spiralized vegetables. Spiralizing is simply one technique for prepping the vegetables, Shredding and chopping works just as well.