Dinner: Emily's Meat Loaf

Recipe by Jenny Rosenstrach For her holiday party one year, my friend Elizabeth served a row of meat loaves that were presented on her finest China platters and had been stuffed with spinach and cheese. I loved that, and occasionally follow her lead for

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground lean beef, turkey, veal, pork, or combination
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup tomato juice or 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce whisked with water to make 1 cup
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 to 4 tablespoons cored, seeded, and chopped bell pepper (any color)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 strips smoky bacon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
In a large bowl, use your hands to thoroughly mix together the meat, bread crumbs, eggs, tomato juice, onion, celery, bell pepper, parsley, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan, spreading ketchup on top. Lay bacon strips on top of ketchup and bake for 1 hour. The loaf is done when a knife inserted into the middle feels hot to the touch or when internal temperature reads 160 °F.

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