veggie-stuffed meatloaf

I’m back!

Had a quick hiatus from blogging, not cooking, due mainly to Thanksgiving where I was doing an aggressive amount of cooking things that were not bloggable (most have already been done.)

Although I did make a new pumpkin pie from Bon Appetit that was UNREAL and will replace all pumpkin pies forever and ever. Might make it again just for kicks.

The weekend before Thanksgiving my four moms came to town for a visit, and as usual Nicky cooked us a delicious feast one night. She made this meatloaf, roasted carrots and brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately a microwave mishap with the mashed potatoes left her with second degree burns on one hand.

Most of us were playing an intense game of Nertz in the other room and didn’t even know what had happened to her hand (because she’s a goddamn warrior and barely made a sound) until she announced dinner was ready and we walked in to find her with her arm casually submerged in a pot of cold water. Not all heroes wear capes.

Veggie-Stuffed Meatloaf

adapted from Bobby Flay

1 onion, finely chopped

1 zucchini, finely chopped

2 bell peppers, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, chopped*

4-5 cloves garlic, minced/mashed

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 lb ground pork

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 cup ketchup, divided

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs balsamic vinegar, divided

*The original recipe calls for crushed red pepper flakes rather than the jalapeno, but the GS is oddly sensitive to that particular form of spice. Feel free to use the CRP instead.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan with a little olive oil, and saute the onion, zucchini, bell peppers, jalapeno, and garlic. Season liberally with salt and pepper. They should be softened but not totally cooked down. Allow them to cool completely.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the balsamic, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the thyme leaves. Combine, then add to the veggies. Using your hands, combine everything together with the meat. Add more salt and pepper. I like to pre-mix all the ingredients other than the meat first to avoid overworking the meat.

This makes a LOT of meatloaf, so I divided it into two and cooked one for the GS and I for two nights worth of dinner, and wrapped the other one up tight to stick in the freezer.

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup balsamic (and more crushed red pepper flakes, if you want spice!). I just eyeballed half of this, since I was only glazing half of the meatloaf. Brush all over the meatloaf and bake at 425 on a lined baking sheet for 1 hour.

Stand in your kitchen and inhale all the good smells.

For those meatloaf haters out there I ask you, do you eat meatballs? Do you eat hamburgers? If the answer to either or both is “yes” then you are a moron for telling yourself you don’t like meatloaf. It is arguably a better version of both of those things, and you can slice wedges from it like a pan of brownies and tell yourself it was just one piece.

This kind of homey and delicious dinner should be served with a comforting starch like mashed potatoes (or rice pilaf, we had a lot of leftover mashed potatoes after last week) and a roasted veggie. Around the table with loved ones.

Or in my case, out of a tupperware container with a plastic fork in my car, prior to teaching a night grad class.