This meatloaf is perfect. It’s not overly sweet or overly dry. Take my word for it because it will not disappoint. It’s going to take a little longer than most hardly homemade recipes, but it’s so worth it. So hurry up and put this on your weekend cooking idea list so you don’t forget about it before Friday rolls around.
This recipe comes from Paula Deen’s Old Fashioned, Classic meatloaf with one substitution, a little less salt, and some extra sides added to the sheet pan. I am calling for crumbled Ritz crackers instead of breadcrumbs (my preference), and making this into two mini loaves instead of one large one, which cuts the cooking time down a bit.
Hardly Homemade community member Ali L’Heureux got this recipe lead from her mom who has been making it for many years, and she has impeccable taste buds. Thanks for sharing such a classic recipe with us! It will be in my family for years to come and I can rest assured that my kids ate some veggies on “Not Your Average Meatloaf” night.
The Hacks:
- Store-bought steamable pre-cut green beans in a bag
- Ritz crackers or gluten free version
- Canned diced tomatoes
The Things:
- Mixing bowl
- Sheet pan
- Cutting board and knife
Not Your Average Meatloaf with Roasted Potato Rounds and Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1.5 1b ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- A few cracks of pepper
- ½ c onion (finely diced)
- ½ c bell pepper (finely diced)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 8 ounces of diced tomatoes, drain the juice
- 20 crumbled Ritz crackers (or gluten free version)
- 2 russet potatoes (sliced into rounds)
- Olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pound of green beans (steamed)
- Topping:
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
- Step 2 Mix ground beef, salt, pepper, onion, bell pepper, egg, tomatoes and crumbled ritz crackers well. Divide the mixture into two equal parts and shape into two loaves. Place on the sheet pan (as pictured above). Mix ketchup, brown sugar and mustard and spread half of it on loaves and reserve the rest.
- Step 3 Cut potatoes into rounds about ¼ inch thick and place them in the empty space of the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Step 4 Bake for 50 minutes. When done, spread the rest of the topping on the loaves. Let the meatloaves rest for 5 minutes and steam the green beans according to package directions. Place the green beans on the sheet pan and bring the pan to the table. Enjoy!
