Meatloaf on a Lazy Sunday

Sunday was chilly and rainy- and I've certainly never been one to complain about weather like that!  I'm a sucker for a gray day.

Click to see recipe on Allrecipes.com

My husband and son both had colds and I was absolutely up for a slow-paced lazy day.  Meatloaf is one of my favorite comfort foods and easy to throw together, so I decided to try out a recipe I've been meaning to make for a while- Classic Spicy Meatloaf.

Oh wow.

Now really...for someone who normally has a "take it or leave it" attitude about all things meat, I have a really odd love of meatloaf.  It's just so good...by itself, with mashed potatoes, on a sandwich the next day...mmmmm...  Personally I like mine with BBQ sauce or a spicy ketchup baked on top.  I've had some successes, some flops, but this...this one is absolutely a keeper.

I did make some changes- rather than breadcrumbs I used oatmeal soaked in a little milk, I added a small amount of yellow mustard, and I omitted the celery and carrot.  But that pork sausage/beef combination is a winner.  I don't think I'll ever make meatloaf again without including the sausage!!

I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and drizzled it with Uncle Gary's Candied Jalapeño BBQ sauce.  The meatloaf is amazing on it's own, but that sauce made it really REALLY amazing!

This is one I hope you'll try out yourself.

Classic Spicy Meatloaf

From Allrecipes.com

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 C finely chopped onion

1/2 C finely chopped green onion

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2/3 C ketchup, divided

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 lb ground beef

3/4 lb spicy ground pork sausage

1 C breadcrumbs

1/3 C minced fresh parsley

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion, green onions, carrot, celery, and garlic until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Cover skillet with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrot is tender, about 5 more minutes.  Stir 1/3 C ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper into vegetable mixture; cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.

3. Mix ground beef, sausage, vegetable mixture, bread crumbs, parsley, and eggs in large bowl; form into a loaf and place in rectangular baking pan with 2-inch high sides.  Cover loaf with remaining ketchup.

4. Bake in preheated oven until no longer pink in center, about 1 hour.  An instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F.