A Sweet & Savory Recipe the Whole Family Will Love
As a kid, I DREADED meatloaf night. I’m talking, “hide in a closet until dinner was over” kind of dread. I wasn’t necessarily a picky eater, but my mother’s meatloaf left a LOT to be desired, especially from a kid’s perspective. It was dry, it was salty, and even drowning my slice in ketchup could not make it any more appealing. I vowed I would never make such a vile dish for my family.
Off to college I went where I quickly learned that college cafeteria meatloaf is far worse than my mother’s – this was a shocking discovery. After only one semester I found myself almost looking forward to some of dear Mom’s ground beef concoction.
A few years ago I decided I was going to introduce my daughter to this culinary staple of “homefood.” However, it was NOT going to be the one I grew up with (sorry Mom!). The one below is, by far, the best meatloaf I’ve ever made. My now 8-year-old daughter actually REQUESTS meatloaf night, and the 3-year-old gobbles it up happily. I think the key is the brown sugar, giving it a nice sweetness to balance out the savory onion and beef flavors.
It’s even better in sandwiches the next day, that is, if there are any leftovers!
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 3 slices bread, toasted and grated
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cube beef bouillon, crumbled
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). - In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and dry mustard until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, shredded bread, onion, egg, bouillon, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/3 cup of the ketchup mixture until well mixed. Form into a loaf and place in a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Bake 1 hour. Pour off fat. Pour reserved ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 10 minutes more.
