Carla's Meatloaf Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Classic American
 
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 11/2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • ⅓ cup dried breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons dried italian seasoning
  • 2 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup grated manchego cheese* (optional)
  • cooking spray
  • Sauce: ½ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Let cool.
  2. In a large bowl combine, ground beef, onions, bell pepper, garlic and remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer to 9 x 5 loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
  3. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. In a small bowl mix sauce ingredients together. Add sauce over meat and continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.
Notes
*Feel free to use any type of cheese you like. As a suggestion, sharp cheddar, parmesan, romano and smoked cheeses work quite well with this meat loaf recipe. I decided to use one of my favorites, the manchego cheese. Manchego cheese is a spanish cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the whole milk of sheep. The cheese is firm in texture, well developed and has a lovely distinctive flavor. It’s great to eat and pairs very well with a robust red wine or sherry.
Recipe by Carla Crudup at https://www.carlacrudup.com/meatloaf/