a twist on meatloaf?

[GrumpyMom]

i'm wondering if anyone has tried a meatloaf recipe with a twist. i was just going to make regular meatloaf (betty crocker cookbook recipe) but then i decided to make a salad with a mexican kind of flavor (avocados, black beans, etc). I'm wondering if it'd be good or gross to add my taco seasoning and some tomato sauce to the meatloaf. please share any meatloaf recipes that are varied, whether italian; veggie; or whatever inspired.

[Mother of Sons]

I hardly ever make meatloaf anymore but when I did I used to mix in shredded cheese, diced onion, diced green peppper and italian seasonings. When it's almost done I put mashed potatoes on top and then bake a little longer. I also put the meatloaf mixture in muffin tins for easy lunch or to freeze. I think taco seasoning would be just fine.

[Punkie]

Well, everyone in my family loves these 2:

Italian meatloaf (tastes like a giant meatball, lol!)

1lb ground beef
2 large eggs
1 cup bread crumbs (I use italian)
14 ounces marinara sauce
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except marinara sauce. Add 1 cup marinara sauce; mix well.

Press into an ungreased 8x4 inch loaf pan

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Pour remaining sauce over meatloaf. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until meat is well browned and firm. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

-----------

Bacon mushroom swiss meatloaf
(I leave off the mushroom for dh or chop it realllllly small so he can't tell they're in there! This tastes like a bacon/swiss cheeseburger)

This makes 2 loaves for me - it makes a TON

24 ounces bacon, diced
8 medium white mushrooms, chopped
2 small onion, finely chopped (I omit or use less b/c dh hates onions)
3lbs ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk or 1/2 and 1/2
12 ounces shredded swiss cheese
1 cup corn flake crumbs

Preheat oven to 350

Cook bacon until crisp but not burned. Drain on paper towels. Remove all but a tbsp of the fat from the skillet and saute the mushrooms and onions until tender. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, mix beef, egg, and milk. Add the mushroom/onion mixture, all but a few spoonfuls of the swiss cheese, and all but one tbsp of the bacon. Add the corn flake crumbs and mix well until blended. Shape into a loaf and place in a loaf pan or on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for an hour, or until cooked through. Drain fat and sprinkled the reserved cheese and bacon on top. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving.

[ArmsOfLove]

Okay--I'm inspired :)

[GrumpyMom]

Well Punkie...your "meatball" meatloaf was a hit. My 2yo ds had thirds, and he hasn't been eating meat for a few months now! Dh and I liked it too. Yum!

[Punkie]

Oh good! I'm so glad that you liked it! My dh loves it served with my homemade mac and cheese, lol. Its not exactly a low-cal meal though. I'm going to eat vicariously through you since I'm not eating meat <dreaming of my meatloaf>

BTW, it freezes really well too, and I've even made it in the crockpot :grin

[GrumpyMom]

oooo, i wish i'd thought of the crock today. it was a really hot day today but i revved up the oven anyway :) all for the love of my boys. how do you do it in the crock pot? how long? does the ground beef look "gray" in the crock?

please share you mac and cheese recipe, or let me know where else i can find it on the boards. thanks for a great dinner ;)

[Cherish]

I got yer Kicked Up meatloaf right here, baby. muaaahhaaaahhaaaahhaaaaa.....

I LOVE this. I dont make any other kind now. They would pale in comparison!!

-------------------------------SEASONING MIX-------------------------------
2 ea Whole bay leaves 1/2 ts White pepper
1 ts Salt 1/2 ts Ground cumin
1 ts Ground cayenne pepper 1/2 ts Ground nutmeg
1 ts Black pepper

------------------------------MAIN INGREDIENTS------------------------------
4 tb Unsalted butter 1/2 c Evaporated milk
3/4 c Finely chopped onions 1/2 c Catsup
1/2 c Green bell peppers, chopped 1 1/2 lb Ground beef
1/4 c Green onions, finely chopped 1/2 lb Ground pork
2 ts Minced garlic 2 ea Eggs, lightly beaten
1 tb Tabasco sauce 1 c Very fine bread crumbs (I make jalapeno cheddar cornbraed and crumble up a slice of it into my meatloaf)
1 tb Worcestershire sauce

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions,
celery, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, tabasco, Worcestershire and
seasoning mix. Saute until mixture starts sticking excessively, about 6
minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom well. Stir in
the milk and catsup. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room
temperature.
Place the ground beef and pork in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Add
the eggs, the cooked vegetable mixture and the bread crumbs, remove the
bay leaves. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined. In the center of the
pan, shape the mixture into a loaf that is about 1-1/2 inches high, 6
inches wide and 12 inches long. Bake uncovered at 350F for 25 minutes,
then raise heat to 400F and continue cooking until done, about 35 minutes
longer.
This is best using both ground pork and ground beef, as the pork gives
more flavor diversity. However, you can make it with ground beef only.
From Paul Prudhomme's "Louisiana Kitchen"

[Punkie]

Its never turned gray on me before :shrug I have this little circular pan thing that fits perfectly in my crock, so I put that in there to keep the loaf out of its juices. Then I cook it all day on low.

Here's my mac and cheese recipe. It might be on here somewhere, it was on the old site. It sounds strange, but everyone falls in love with it :heart

1 cup elbow macaroni (I use more like 1/2 - 2/3 a box)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 dash pepper
1 1/4 cups milk
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
bread

Cook macaroni in unsalted water until tender, but firm.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once. Stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add cheese. Stir until melted. Stir in cooked macaroni and pour into casserole.

Cut the bread into cubes. Melt enough butter to coat the bread. Toss the bread in the butter. Sprinkle on top of mac and cheese. Top with paprika, if desired (I usually don't, but my family does).

Bake in a 350 oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it is bubbly and the bread is slightly browned.

[GrumpyMom]

Cherish - that sounds great, too. I love your baby name, BTW. Laura has always been one of my favorite girl names...and Kate goes so well with it.

[Lantern Light Mama]

Mine is simple. ...German meatloaf.

2 TBSP chopped onion
cant forget the ground beef
2 slices of bread
one egg
1/4 cup milk
parsley
salt and pepper
1/4 TSP Maggi seasoning or beef bullion

I have been know to throw in green pepper, finely chopped carrotts, squash, and zuchini on occasion.

I make cabbage rolls too so im condering this for a change....
the above recipe + about 1 and 1 half C. of cooked shredded cabbage mixed in, but instead of sauce on top, make a simple gravy from onion gravy mixed..prepared by the instructions plus 2 Tbsp sour cream. Eat with mashed potatoes.

My mom makes it this way...
ground beef
crackers
2 eggs
ketchup
salt
pepper
onions...

but she likes my recipe for stuffed meatloaf which I cant find at the moment.

I tried the one where you add stovetop but that one did not go over well in my house, and my meatloving DH barely touched it.

[sillyme]

I use ground turkey (I don't eat red meat) and I put in an egg and some pepper and some milk and then I sprinkle in Stove Top stuffing mix until I get the desired texture. It was the only bread crumbs I had one day and it came out perfectly seasoned. So now I do it this way all the time! It's a big time saver. Occasionally I'll throw in other stuff too just to play with the recipe, but this is the basics of it.

(oops, I forgot to say that I grill some onions until they are a bit caramelized and mix that into the meat too)

[Iansmama]

Well, when I worked at Whole Foods I loved the meatloaf we made there...it was ground turkey. We sauteed carrots, onions, garlic, and celery in olive oil and italian seasonings and worked that in with the meat mixture.

All of these sound great! Yum!