Quick and Easy Meatloaf

 Meatloaf was not a common meal in our house growing up. I've heard so many friends tell me stories about how meatloaf was their "Tuesday night" dinner, almost every week. My only recollection of meatloaf was a "Mexican" meatloaf that mom made. She hated it, where as Dad and I loved it. We never had it a second time. In fact, Mom said she lost the recipe. It was only after she died I found the recipe in her gray tin box. 

I am a big fan of meatballs, so I figured meatloaf was kinda the same thing, just in a loaf. And I am correct in thinking that. This recipe was good. I'm not sure I'm a fan of oats as the "bread" part of meatloaf. It gave it a weird texture, but it wasn't horrible. 

I think the "weird" texture was me over working the meat when mixing it. 

I also HIGHLE recommend the recommendation to not cook this in a loaf pan. I did and she's not wrong about all the grease coming to the top. And that weird gray hamburger gunk that sometimes shows up. I moved it to a wire rack over a cookie sheet about half way through. 

Because I moved it, I lost almost all the "bbq" topping. So I just whipped out the sweet baby rays and put it on top. 

Quick and Easy Meatloaf

Recipe from Harbour Breeze Home

Serves 8

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup oatmeal
• salt and pepper to taste
• For the sauce:
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons mustard
• 1/3 cup ketchup

Mix all meatloaf ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Use a large spoon for mixing, and if you aren’t too squeamish, wash your hands well and mix it together well with your hands.

Press meatloaf mixture firmly into a loaf pan.

Turn formed meatloaf onto a parchment paper lined baking pan with sides. Rather than baking meatloaf in a loaf pan (where the grease sits in a pool on the top ~ Yuck!), try this trick: Flip the packed meatloaf from the loaf pan onto a large pan with sides which has been lined with parchment paper.

(“Whack it!” firmly on the bottom, til it slides out of the loaf pan.)

With this method, the grease will then run out onto the pan as it bakes. It works like a charm!

Mix the barbecue sauce ingredients together in another bowl and pour over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until completely done (and not pink) in the center.