Meatloaf has a bad rap.
It is, for sure, a loaf of meat – something that doesn’t quite sit well with our well-intentioned ideas of better modern eating (any reality aside). And like cheese balls and Jell-O molds, meatloaf has that aura of 1950′s food that’s trying a little too hard.
Of course, this being the Ms. Cleaver Chronicles, I’d be somewhat amiss if I didn’t proclaim love for the meatloaf. I like meatloaf so much, it’s what I ate on my second-first date with Mr. Cleaver. I can only think of one other person who truly appreciates this dish as much as I do (hi Winnie!). But if you haven’t eaten meatloaf recently, you really should because it is tasty. And with a few minor modifications, better for you than a hamburger.
A few years ago, I decided to jettison beef from my diet, except for “when it really mattered,” meaning I like a good steak every now and again, but by and large ground beef almost never makes it into my kitchen. And really, I don’t miss it – most of the things I formerly made with hamburger (or hamburg as Mr. Cleaver says) like tacos, chili and this dish, have enough seasoning that it doesn’t make much difference when I use ground turkey meat instead and I feel a little better about eating it. I do what I can.
And so, like the Chili I posted earlier this week, I make my meatloaf with turkey, but feel free to use beef if you want.
Mmm-mm Meatloaf : (Serves 3)
1- 1½lbs ground turkey meat (or beef)
½ onion, finely diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
½ sleeve of butter crackers (ie Townhouse or Ritz - not Saltines)
2/3 cup of ketchup
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350°F. If desired, lightly grease a loaf pan.
Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl using a sturdy spoon or your hands. transfer to pan and make into a “loaf “shape. [Note: To really make a good sized, loaf you'd probably need at least 2 lbs of meat, but I'm only cooking for two here.]
Put in oven and cook for 45 min- 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 160°F on a meat thermometer.
December 12, 2007 at 11:36 AM
I LOVE meatloaaf too! James, the all-time lover of cheeseburgers, thinks it’s weird and gross. So I haven’t eaten it in a long time. Hmmm, I must find the recipe that I use (it’s Coralynn’s grandma’s recipe) and share it with you….
December 20, 2007 at 11:48 AM
Thanks for commenting on my post today. I hadn’t added you to my google reader and so had lost track of your blog. We really are kind of freakishly connected–I made meatloaf recently (though I didn’t like it growing up, my mom used campbells tomato soup instead of ketchup). It was sooo yummy! I also just made chili on Sunday. Hope to post about it soon. I always forget about ground turkey when I’m at the store…will have to start putting it on my list and keeping some in the freezer.
January 5, 2008 at 5:38 PM
You have a blog! And an awesome one! When I make meatloaf, I prefer using ground turkey as well, but sometimes throw in about a third of whatever kind of spicy chicken sausage appeals to me at the time. New Seasons here in Portland has an awesome array of such things. They also sell a lamb meatloaf blend: ground lamb, feta cheese, roasted garlic and red peppers, Kalamata olives…oh yum. I am getting hungry thinking of it.
Happy New Year to you, Ms. Cleaver!