Tag: meatloaf

Bacon Wrapped Pork Meatloaf

Pork

Hello all! So last night I was all set to make my normal meatloaf recipe but wrapped in bacon. Then I went to unwrap my beef and it was spoiled! Boo! Well, I wasn’t going to let a little spoiled meat get the best of me, so I trashed it and decided to wing it. I found a package of chicken sausage, so I decided to grind that up with a red pepper and an onion. It turned out really good, but I think it was too big of a change for my family. They said it was good and ate it, but they love my original meatloaf recipe and said they were missing the beef. I loved the change and except the bacon wrapping, it was lighter with the chicken sausage and veggies added.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken sausage
1/2 pound ground mild Italian sausage
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
8 strips of bacon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the red bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetables, sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and mix well. Spray the bottom of a baking dish and place on strips of bacon on bottom with sides sticking out. Using your hands, form the meat it into a loaf. Place it on top of the bacon in the pan. Wrap the strips around the top. Add more on top or sides if needed. Bake the meat loaf, uncovered, until cooked through, about 1 hour.
Pour off the melted fat, slice the meat loaf and serve.

Funny story—-I put it on a sheet pan with aluminum foil. The bacon grease set a small fire in my oven. Use a baking dish 😉

bacon

Meatloaf, Cornbread, and Mashed Potatoes

Beef, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pork, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

The comfort food trifecta. Yum! I had originally planned on having this on Wednesday night, but E begged me to make it tonight. I had my parents over as well, so I made a huge amount of food!

Cast Iron Cornbread: I made the cornbread first. Preheat oven at 425. Heat your 9 or 12 in. pan. Add about 1/3 stick of butter to melt. Combine the following: 2 cups of cornmeal, 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, and a pinch of salt. Combine in the heated pan and melted butter. You should hear a sizzle. Then put in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. 003

Meatloaf: I let 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground Italian sausage come to room temperature in a bowl. I sautéed 1 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a pan, about 8 minutes. I do this to avoid raw onion chunks in my meatloaf. Take off the heat and cool for a few minutes.

To my meat, I added 1 egg and the onion and garlic. The rest of the ingredients I eyeball a little at a time until the right consistency; Worcestershire sauce (2 tablespoons), about a glass of red wine, a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce, a squish of tomato paste. I use the tube, so that is why I say squish, but if you use the can, about 1 tablespoon, and about a cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. I get in there and mix it up with my hands. Mix just enough to combine the ingredients. I do not use ketchup at all. The tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine, and Worcestershire combo is better and gives the meatloaf so much more depth of flavor than ketchup ever could. I take my mixture, form in a long loaf shape, and put it on some aluminum foil in a long baking dish.Top with more tomato sauce. 350 for 45 minutes. We had only 1 chunk leftover….perfect for a couple of meatloaf sandwiches! Always make extra for this!
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Mashed potatoes: Ok, so I learned this really cool trick from someone on TV, in a cookbook, or one of my food magazines. I honestly can’t remember where I heard this, but boil your potatoes in milk, cream, and butter instead of water! Add some salt and a touch of pepper. The potatoes cook with these flavors! GENIUS! When they are fork tender, strain them out but keep your liquid. Then add your cooking liquid a bit at a time to your desired consistency. Plus, I added a bit more butter… Oh, and we had peas. Gotta add the veggie!

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