My husband and son really enjoyed my Cajun Meatloaf
creation so I decided to experiment with Italian
Meatloaf. My twist was instead of making
one or two giant meatloaves – I would portion them into individual serving
sizes. These turned out GREAT. The kiddo really loved these – and being the
carnivore that he is – he wanted two the first night we had them. They are savory, a little bit spicy, and can
be warmed up in the microwave for dinner in a flash. Enjoy with some pasta or a salad – and dinner
is served!
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1 ½ white onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (can use less or none –
depending upon your taste and tolerance for “spicy”)
½ cup – ¾ cup beef broth
1 cup tomato-basil spaghetti sauce (I like Trader Joe’s
brand, or Classico)
1 ½ cups Italian bread crumbs (I use Progresso)
2 – 2 ½ lbs ground beef (I used 85% lean one time and 93%
lean the other. Turned out great both
ways)
2 eggs, beaten
Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
Additional spaghetti sauce to spread on top of the
meatloaves
Directions:
Heat a large skillet; drizzle olive oil into it. Add onions
and garlic; sauté until translucent – but be careful not to burn. Add beef broth as needed to keep onions from
sticking and burning.
Add basil, oregano, pepper flakes, remaining beef broth and
1 cup of spaghetti sauce. Bring to a
simmer. Remove from heat and allow to
cool.
In a large bowl combine bread crumbs, eggs, flat leaf
parsley and onion mixture. Thoroughly
combine.
Add ground beef to the onion/breadcrumb mixture. Using a large spoon – or your hands – mix well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Form the meat mixture into 8 individual meat
loaves.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven. Top each
meatloaf with 2 -3 spoons of spaghetti sauce.
Return to oven and continue cooking for 30 - 35 more minutes.
Remove from oven and enjoy immediately. Or, these can be
refrigerated and heated in the microwave (approximately 1 minute) for lunch or
an easy dinner on a busy weeknight.
