MONDAY RECIPE POST - PARMESAN MEATLOAF

The process was fast as all the ingredients were put into a bowl and mixed up without any pre-cooking of onions, garlic, etc. I found the recipe at Just Cook Well and you can find the original recipe here. I couldn't find the name of the host.

Parmesan Meatloaf - serves 8

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

2 large eggs

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 small yellow onion, finely grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup pasta sauce (marinara sauce, homemade, meatless)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (Italian cheese blend)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork and beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. The recipe tells us not over handle the mixture, otherwise it will get tough.

Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan, and form into a loaf.  

Top the meatloaf with pasta sauce.

Place filled loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and carefully drain any grease from the pan.

Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese (we used grated Mozzarella).

Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Here is the full address if you prefer to copy and paste rather than use the link.

  https://justcookwell.com/parmesan-meatloaf/

Did we do anything different?  No, we followed the recipe exactly.  

Once again my oven temperature runs on the cool side and after the timer went off, it wasn’t cooked all the way through.  I put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes and that was enough. 

We served it with mashed potatoes.  Gregg had French-style green beans and I had mushy peas (not everyone’s cup of tea, but I grew up with it and is a favorite veg).

A mixed green salad would be nice, and some crusty rolls.  We didn't use either this time, just the beans and the peas.

Not the prettiest photos but I forgot to take one the first night, which admittedly would have looked prettier than these photos show. The next day I served mine with the leftover mushy peas and a poached egg on the top, as seen above, with a sprinkling of Umeboshi Furikake. A bit of fusion going on here. Also, anytime I can put a poached egg on the top, I will and it was very yummy. We finished off the third day having meatloaf sandwiches.

This is a change of pace meal for us. It is rarely made, keeping our red meat to a minimum.  

Gregg asked me if my mother ever cooked meatloaf, as he occasionally talks about what his mother used to fix them as kids. My answer was no but I remember she made a meat pie once, same ingredients basically and served from a pie plate. She was an excellent cook but Dad didn’t like it, so it was never made again.  He also didn’t like chicken, though he would eat Turkey at Christmas.  

I only started eating chicken after I got married.  That first time was at my in-laws house.  His mom fixed fried chicken. I had never heard of frying chicken before, and she cooked it to perfection. It was a real treat!  

Culinary memories and tales are over.  I would certainly enjoy reading some of yours if you would like to share. What do you think of meatloaf, or did you eat fried chicken?