Nel's Smothered Meatloaf

Photo from 12 tomatoes

I have no idea who Nel is, but if this is her meatloaf recipe, she definitely knows what she's doing. This was off-the-chart delicious.

I haven't made a lot of meatloaf over the years. Meatballs? That's a completely different story. I make those all the time. Growing up, meatloaf wasn't a regular dinner at our house. Mom made it every once in a while, but it was never one of those meals that showed up often. Since I love meatballs so much, I've always thought of meatloaf as one giant meatball.

What makes this recipe stand out is that it skips the traditional ketchup glaze and instead smothers the meatloaf in a rich tomato gravy. The gravy keeps the meat incredibly tender and adds so much savory flavor. 

Would I make it again? I think so. The only thing I'd do differently is make individual mini meatloaves instead of one large loaf. They'd be perfect for freezing, which makes for an easy homemade dinner whenever the craving strikes.

Tomorrow I'm going to have my first meatloaf sandwich with the leftovers.

Nel's Smothered Meatloaf

Recipe from 12 Tomatoes

Serves 4-6

• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 2-qt baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.

To a medium bowl, add the ground beef, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and mix until just combined, form mixture into a loaf shape and place in prepared pan.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining tomato sauce, water, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper, and pour over and around meatloaf.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, basting meatloaf every 15 minutes.

Let sit 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!