Mom’s meatloaf is simply the best

6/16/2013
BY ALICIA ROSS
KITCHEN SCOOP
Old-fashioned all beef meatloaf is a weekly dinner tradition for many families.
Old-fashioned all beef meatloaf is a weekly dinner tradition for many families.

My Mom’s Original Meatloaf recipe is one of the few that hold deep emotional ties for me. It is the exact recipe I grew up with, unaltered, just the way Mom would prepare it almost every week. I’m sure you have one or two recipes that you feel the same way about: It is perfect just the way it is. And no one’s meatloaf tastes better to me than my mom’s. Period.

With that said, I share Mom’s recipe with all of you because over the years, as I have prepared this old-fashioned favorite for different people, they’ve all become instant fans, too. There’s nothing extraordinary about the recipe, really. It’s a simple, straightforward meatloaf, and it’s prepared similarly to a bunch of other recipes out there.

However, Mom never makes her meatloaf in a loaf pan. She shapes the meat mixture into a loaf in a casserole dish and then bakes it. While the extra fat drains away from the meatloaf, Mom’s loaf is far from dry. In fact, it is so moist and tender it falls apart at the least pressure.

The biggest reason to try Mom’s Original Meatloaf is because it is one of the most economical and flavorful ways to stretch ground beef without feeling miserly or leaving the troops hungry as they leave the table. If you’re like me and have fewer at the dinner table these days, you can rest assured because Mom’s Meatloaf makes the best sandwiches, too.

Contact Alicia Ross at Kitchen Scoop, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106, or send email to tellus@kitchenscoop.com. Visit the Kitchen Scoop Web site at www.kitchenscoop.com.


Mom’s Original Meatloaf

Start to finish: 10 minutes prep; 1 hour 15 minutes baking time

Yield: 6 to 8 servings (Leftovers make fantastic sandwiches.)

2 slices hearty wheat bread, toasted and cubed

½ cup whole milk

2 eggs, gently beaten

1 cup onion, chopped

½ cup parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or prepared mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1½ pounds lean ground beef (93 percent lean)

¾ to 1 cup ketchup for topping

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In large bowl, place bread crumbs, milk, and eggs. Stir well. Add the onion, parmesan cheese, parsley, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Crumble ground meat over the mixture and then fold together using your hands.

Transfer into an 8-by-11-by-2-inch (or larger) glass baking dish, sprayed with cooking oil, and form into a long loaf. Pat down to about 3 inches high. (Wash your hands well after handling the raw meat.) Pour ketchup to taste over entire loaf.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done to personal preference. Serve immediately.

Approximate values per serving: 239 calories, 7.7 g fat (3 g saturated), 120 mg cholesterol, 29 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 564 mg sodium.