My kids are carnivores. I didn’t do it. I could survive on fruits and vegetables alone, but my husband, well…you could say he’s a meat and potatoes kind of man. Our kids really will eat mostly anything, with the exception of a picky eater or two here and there. But meat, they eat.
Hayden has recently been requesting such dishes as spaghetti with meatballs and meatloaf, so to honor my nine year old’s savory taste buds, I obliged. I only knew the recipe for meatloaf from watching my mother make it when I was little, but really, it’s so simple, you can’t forget. Here it is….the recipe that even my picky eaters ate last night for dinner.
Simply Meatloaf
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds (organic or at least grass fed) ground meat
- 1 egg
- breadcrumbs made from about five slices of whole wheat bread in your oven
- a bell pepper (you may not use the whole thing, so throw the rest in the salad)
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 3 fresh garlic cloves
- seasoned salt
- pepper
- 2 small cans tomato sauce
Steps:
- Place hamburger meat in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper.
- Broil five slices of whole wheat bread in oven til very crispy on both sides.
- While they’re toasting, chop up onion, bell pepper and fresh garlic. I make the garlic tiny, but the onions and bell pepper are up to you how large or small the pieces are.
- Crumble the toast directly into the bowl with the meat, the finer the better, but don’t worry about any big chunks….they’ll blend right in.
- Add the egg, one can of tomato sauce, and the veggies (amount to your taste) and smush everything around with your hands. Yes, your hands. A spoon will just NOT DO. Have fun.
- Plop the mixture into a baking dish of your choice. Last night I baked mine in a circle, but feel free to use your rectangle or Elmo or Scooby Doo pan if you must.
- Drizzle the top of the meatloaf with the remaining can of tomato sauce and give it another dash of pepper. Cook 45 minutes or til done (depending on the depth of the baking dish you chose) at 375, turning up heat the last few minutes to brown the top a bit if you like.
Serve with salad, green beans, and your favorite potatoes.
Linger at the table. Love your babies. 
