Mmmmeatloaf

For some reason or another, meatloaf has been one of Dan’s favorite things that I’ve made. I can’t take 100 percent credit though, as I “borrowed” from my Aunt Vera’s web site (www.veryvera.com - delicious mail order cakes and recipes you can borrow, too).

When I first made this for Dan, he told me that it was a “top five” item I’ve made. From there, it’s almost been a comical snowball effect. Dan once invited his friend Jason to join us, who bragged to a friend that he enjoyed some of my “famous meatloaf.” After that, some other friends heard I was making meatloaf one night and graciously invited themselves over.

I am thinking it would be fun to start blogging recipes that go over well with Dan and my friends. So this shall be the first of this series. It is my hope that this recipe and others I plan to post eventually are crowd pleasers for friends and family.

Cheesy Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup onions (chopped)
• 1 small package white mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 and ¼ pounds ground round or ground sirloin
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup Ritz crackers (ground into breadcrumb consistency)
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I favor Classico’s Four Cheese)
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• (optional) garlic and Italian seasonings, to taste

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Sautee onions and mushrooms in butter or olive oil. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, hand mix ground meat, eggs, crushed Ritz crackers, cooked onions and mushrooms, salt, pepper, optional seasoning and approx 1 cup to 1.5 cups spaghetti sauce (enough to make the mixture stick together).
• Lay out two pieces of wax paper (approx a foot long each) side by side so that they overlap approx four inches.
• Remove mixture from bowl and place on wax paper, shaping like a large rectangle.
• Sprinkle cheese atop meat mixture.
• Roll meat like a jelly roll, starting at one end and rolling on top of itself until a log-type shape is made. Pinch at the ends.
• Gently transfer meatloaf to a cookie sheet.
• Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Remove from oven, pour over loaf most of the remaining spaghetti sauce so that loaf is covered. Cook 15 additional minutes.
• Remove from oven. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes then slice and serve.