By Bernadette Kathryn, LMT, IHLC

What I love about meatloaf is you can use any kind of meat you like or even make it a veggie loaf if you don’t eat meat…. the concept is the same. It’s incredibly easy, gather your ingredients, mix them in a large bowl, put them together in a loaf pan and bake. In an hour, you have a very healthy, comforting dinner ready for a family.

 

This is a classic beef, veal & pork combination. But, as I have said you can use any meat that you and your family prefer, the method is the same.  I have several combinations that I use depending on who I am feeding and what we have been eating. So, if you prefer turkey, by all means substitute turkey. The magic, is the addition of LOTS of vegetables, they add tons of flavor and nutrition, making this classic an updated keeper.

 

You will notice, that this recipe is rather large — lots of meat and vegetables, 3 loaf pans or 6 mini loaf pans… Well, you might be noticing a theme here with me, I like to take advantage of my time in the kitchen and cook large quantities and freeze the extras for a future time when I need a little help in the kitchen. Cook once, eat two or three times for the same effort. The real trick to this is planning and having the right equipment to make my life easier.

 

What I like to have on hand is a food processor or mini chopper to make things go faster (which is always a help), an abundance of loaf pans so I can make extra, and a Food Saver so I can vacuum pack the food I want to freeze.  The Food Saver is a huge help to prevent freezer burn and make sure the food is still quality when the time comes to defrost it and eat!

 

My Implementation:


Meatloaf
 
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An updated Classic without the breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground veal
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 4 large carrots, peeled & finely chopped
  • 2 large stalks of celery, finely chopped
  • 1 C of mushrooms, finely chopped
  • ½ C of spinach, finely chopped
  • ½ C of parsley, finely chopped
  • 2T fresh oregano, finely chopped
  • 2T fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 2T Anchovy paste
  • 2T Tomato paste
  • ¼ C fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 Large eggs
  • s/p to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350•
  2. Prepare 3 loaf pans or 6 mini loaf pans
  3. Using a food processor, pulse chop all of your vegetables and herbs finely
  4. Saute in a non-stick skillet until soft
  5. Set aside to cool
  6. Prepare the meat, anchovy paste, tomato paste, parmesan cheese, eggs
  7. Add the cooled vegetables & mix thoroughly
  8. Divide into your designated loaf pans
  9. Bake in the oven 45-60 minutes
  10. Allow to cool before cutting and eating


 

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