Best Ever Meatloaf

I made this last week, and gave some of the leftovers to Grandma June and Charlie. Both she and Mom (who stole a bite) said it was the best they had ever tasted and requested the recipe. It is that good! Enjoy!


Best-Ever Meatloaf
I know, I know— meatloaf? Ugh. Especially from someone who is not a big fan of beef, I totally understand. But this really is different. I first made this while Matt and I were at BYU. I was craving something comforting, and decided to be brave and try a recipe from one of my favorite books “The New Basics”. It was good, but after tweaking it quite a bit, it is now our family standard. It is loaded with veggies and spices, and is moist and delicious. This recipe makes 2 large meatloaves, serving probably 6 each. Before you are tempted to halve the recipe, consider what we do: 1-Make both and have a ton of leftovers; 2– Cook half, and freeze the other half of the raw mixture for a future meal ; 3– Take a dinner to someone who really needs it, a new mom or an older couple; or 4-Cook one half as a loaf, and the other half in muffin tins, making lots of little loaves. These freeze remarkably well and are easy to defrost quickly for lunch or dinner (I remember making this to stockpile our freezer before Alec went in for his second heart surgery!). Finally, as you are no doubt aware, there is a federal law requiring meatloaf to be served with mashed potatoes and peas, so make sure you make those on the side! Serves 12 (at least).

6 Tb. butter
2 c. finely chopped onion
3 green onions, sliced
2 c. finely chopped carrots
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 large bell peppers, finely chopped
5 large garlic cloves, pressed
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. ground white pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
3 eggs, beaten
2 c. ketchup, divided
1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
2 pounds lean ground beef chuck
12 ounces sausage meat (not Italian sausage. I use Jimmy Dean Regular Sausage)
8 c. fresh breadcrumbs, about 1 large French loaf)

Heat oven to 375*. In a few batches, process torn bread in food processor until fine breadcrumbs. Set aside. Proceed on with each vegetable processing until finely chopped, reserving any juices, as well. Melt butter in large pot, and add both kinds of onions, carrots, celery peppers and garlic and any juices from these vegetables. Cook, stirring often, until softened- about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until room temperature. Alternatively, you can place in a bowl, and fill a larger bowl with ice water. Place the veggie bowl in the ice bath, stirring often, until cool, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine spices, eggs, and 1 cup of the ketchup in a very large mixing bowl. Blend thoroughly. Add sausage, ground beef, and cooled veggies and mix completely. Add breadcrumbs (yes, you will need 8 cups!! The veggies have a ton of liquid!) and mix in, kneading for about 5 minutes. Divide in half, and make 2 loaves. (or freeze half, etc...see above) In small bowl, combine remaining 1 c. ketchup and vinegar. Brush a thin layer over all sides, and pile remaining sauce on the top of the loaves, covering the top completely.
Bake until done in middle, approximately 60-75 minutes, depending on loaf size.