This isn’t a great picture but this is how my mother used to make meatloaf right down to the ketchup and hot sauce topping.  My mother had to stretch her food budget so she would add bread crumbs to meatloaf, more noodles to casseroles and everything was homemade down to the bread and cakes we had.  She would bake 5-6 loaves of bread every Saturday morning for sandwiches during the week.  I hated the bread then.  I wanted white soft bread.  How I wish I could have the bread now.

But, as food costs have risen I am returning to some of her habits.  I am trying to slowly cut down on the amount of meat we eat.  Buying frozen vegetables on sale out of season rather than pay the high cost of fresh vegetables that are shipped and imported from other countries.  I can buy a 2 lb. bag of cut carrots for $.99 when a fresh bag of carrots cost $2.00 out of season.  Yes, we prefer fresh carrots but the frozen are cheaper and probably have a bit more of their vitamins left because they are frozen and haven’t been sitting in a warehouse for weeks.

Verdict:

This was a great comfort meal.  There was only 1 extra-large slice left for lunch the next day.  It was moist, simple and tasted great.

I served this dish with mashed potatoes and carrots.

Ingredients:

•  1 1/2 – 2 lbs  ground beef, lean
• 4 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs, plain or seasoned, your choice
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• dash of hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix beef, Worcestershire Sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and eggs together until well combined.  Form meat into a loaf.
3. Spray a metal baking rack with non-stick spray and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.  Place meatloaf on the baking rack.  The grease from the beef will drip into the pan and your meat loaf will not soak in it while cooking this way.
4. Mix ketchup and hot sauce together and spread it over the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked through.
6. Allow to rest 5 minutes before cutting.