By Kelly Bogard

Have you noticed a change in the air? A crisp breeze on a much cooler afternoon?  Me too and I LOVE it!  There are changes happening everywhere, but one thing is still the same.  It is the first Friday of the month, which means it’s time for a new Back to Basics recipe.  This week we are going to tackle one of my childhood favorites–meatloaf.   This is truly comfort food for a cool Fall evening.

The funny thing about me and meatloaf is, I will not eat it anywhere but at my parent’s house or in my home.  It just doesn’t taste the same anywhere else.  In fact, the first time I made it for Daniel, he was completely surprised because he thought I did not like eating it at all.  Now, with a bit of his mom’s recipe and a touch of my mom’s recipe, I think I have come up with recipe for everyone.

For Back to Basics: Meatloaf, you will need…Back to Basics: Meatloaf
2 lbs ground beef
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 egg
1 1/4 cups Ketchup
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

I mentioned earlier that all kinds of things are changing, one of which is our staff. You might have seen our announcement a couple of weeks ago for Julie. She is awesome. She loves agriculture and food. One little problem. She doesn’t know how to cook. So, as food editor I have offered to help her learn. I am by no means the best cook, but I did have some pretty good teachers. So I think I can do it.

First things, first. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then combine the beef, crushed crackers, onion and bell pepper in a large bowl and set aside.
Back to Basics: Meatloaf

Next, whisk together the egg, 1 cup of ketchup, Worcestershire, garlic powder, pepper and salt. You are going to save 1/4 cup of ketchup for glazing the loaf before cooking.
Back to Basics: Meatloaf

Add the liquid mixture to the prepared meat and knead together until well combined. This is kind of messy but well worth it to make sure all of the ingredients marry.
Back to Basics: Meatloaf

Finally, form the meat into a loaf in a baking dish and brush on the remaining ketchup. Bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
Back to Basics: Meatloaf

This is one of those dishes that I love to have on a rainy evening just before sitting down to watch a movie with the family. Especially when I get to serve it over Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes. From all of us at Texas Table Top, enjoy!

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Recipe: Back to Basics: Meatloaf

Summary: Classic comfort food for Fall

Ingredients

Back to Basics: Meatloaf

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/4 cups Ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp worchestershire
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Mix beef, crushed crackers, onion and bell pepper in a large bowl and set aside.
  • Whisk together the egg, 1 cup of ketchup, worchestershire, garlic powder, pepper and salt.
  • Reserve 1/4 cup of ketchup for topping.
  • Combine the meat and liquid ingredients, kneading by hand.
  • Place the prepared meat in a loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until internal temp is 160 degrees.
  • Serve warm with mashed potatoes

Cooking time (duration): 1 hour

Number of servings (yield): 4-6

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