Craving-Worthy Meatloaf

I have never been a huge meatloaf fan. I was never upset to eat it, but I had never craved it. Last week's recipe changed all that. I cannot wait to have meatloaf again. And the best part? It was at least half veggies! Here's the recipe I used (bear in mind that I didn't really measure any spices, so follow your nose to create a recipe that will delight your senses).

Meatloaf Beatloaf....I love meatloaf!

Ingredients

Meatloaf 

1/2 large sweet onion diced to 1/4 or 1/2 inch pieces (you want about a cup total)
1-2 T olive oil
1 (heaping) tsp minced garlic
2 medium carrots
2 small to medium zucchini (about the same volume as the carrots)
14 oz button mushrooms
1 lb organic grass-fed ground beef
     (if you can't get organic grass-fed ground beef, consider using turkey)
1 T onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 - 2 C unseasoned bread crumbs (enough to make the mix hold together)
1/2 C parmigiano reggiano cheese (finely grated)

Sauce 

1 qt low sodium chicken broth
1/2 to 2/3 qt low sodium vegetable broth
Salt / pepper / onion powder to taste

Directions

Meatloaf

1. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil (easy cleanup and storage)
2. Finely chop (I used a food processor) the carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms. I had to do this in batches because my food processor is not big enough to handle everything at once, so I transferred each batch to a large glass bowl for holding when it was done (you can reuse the bowl to mix everything in step 6-7).
3. Add olive oil to a large frying pan (stainless steel or some other not non-stick material will work best). Once the oil is hot (shimmery, easy to move around the pan), add the onions and cook until translucent. 
4. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and cook for about 30 more seconds
5. Add the finely chopped vegetables to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender (5-7 minutes). Stir occasionally. When the veggies are cooked, turn the heat off.
6. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, 1 C bread crumbs, and parmigiano reggiano cheese. Add the meat and mix a little to start combining everything.
7. Add the veggies to the meat mixture and mix until everything is combined well (don't clean the pan - we're going to use it for the sauce). Add additional bread crumbs as needed to make the consistency moldable (the mix should stick together well but not be wet).
8. Dump (there is no graceful way to do it) the meatloaf mixture into your lined pan and form into a loaf (about 2" thick)
9. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until the top is slightly browned. Spoon 3-4 T of the sauce (recipe below) over the meat about 15 minutes before you remove it from the oven.

Sauce

1. Using the same pan that you cooked the onions and veggies in, add 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth, and 1/2 to 2/3 of a quart of low-sodium vegetable stock (this will deglaze the pan making it easier to clean and giving your sauce all of the rich browned flavors of the veggies you just cooked). 
2. Put the burner on medium high, and let this reduce down to about 1/4 of the original volume. When it's ready, it should coat the back of a metal spoon.
3. Once it's reduced, give it a taste and season it with salt, pepper, and onion powder. If you season it before it's reduced, you risk making it too salty with no real way to correct the flavor.

Serve each slice of meatloaf with 1-2 T of the sauce and enjoy! This re-heats beautifully in the microwave, and I think you'll find that the flavors just get better with a day or 2 to marinate. 

Happy Eating!! :-)