(48.3% Meat)Loaf Stretching Meat Part 3

(I know this is not meatloaf.  This is the sweet and white potato mash with cottage cheese I plopped on Loaf #2)

You know I'm all about the Frugal Eco Farm Fresh Feasting, how I stretch meat by making tacos, and burgers.  I do not hide vegetables in other dishes.  I am completely aboveboard with my family when it comes to adding additional vegetables in traditionally non-additional-vegetable foods (like eggplant in the spaghetti sauce or spinach in the pizza crust).

Ok, I lied, in fact I've totally been known to slip a beet into a blueberry smoothie, though I try to own up to it if I'm asked a direct question involving specific vegetables.

But when I make meatloaf, the family totally knows that there's more than just meat in that loaf. When I saw ground pork marked down at the store, I knew it was time to make up a batch of meatloaf, Farm Fresh Feast style.

Today, we weighed the ingredients (and apparently didn't take photos), did the math, and in fact, this "meat" loaf contains 48.3% meat.  What's the rest?  I'm glad you asked. Meatloaf for me is more of a concept recipe, as Alanna of A Veggie Venture and Kitchen Parade would say.  I use a mix of meats (usually ground beef and pork), a bunch of veggies, something dry, and some sauce.  Sometimes I add an egg or two if it seems too loose.  Sometimes I add salt and pepper or other seasonings. I make this into 2 small loaves and freeze one uncooked for a later meal.  Luckily I took some photos of the second time 'round.

 

I'm blue, bah doo dee dah . . .

(48.3% Meat)Loaf (makes 2 loaves)

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

4-6 cups (2+ pounds!) finely chopped vegetables (I used a put-up blend of onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, garlic, parsley, and Swiss chard stems)

2-3 cups dry stuff (today I used day old Italian bread, left over from this dish, and cheddar French fried onions, both finely ground in my food processor)

1/2 cup sauce (today I used leftover BBQ sauce from a take out night, other times I use ketchup)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a large mixing bowl (I use the refurbished far cheaper version of this), combine meats thoroughly.  Add in vegetables, dry stuff, and sauces (not the 1/4 cup ketchup).  Pack into 2 loaf pans or 8 mini loaf pans (mine are not full).  Bake for 45 minutes, top with ketchup.  Bake an additional 5-10 minutes.  

If you're going to freeze one loaf unbaked, line the loaf pan with plastic wrap, wax paper or parchment paper.  Pack in the meat.  Cover with more wrap or paper, and freeze overnight until solid.  Then you can pop the frozen loaf out of the pan, wrap it in freezer paper (LABEL IT!), and store.  When meatloaf fits into your meal plan, remove the wrapping, place the loaf back into the pan to thaw in the fridge overnight, and follow baking directions above.

Do you hide vegetables in other foods?

This post is linked with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop at Chicken Chick, What's Cookin Wednesday at Buns In My Oven, What's In The Box at In Her Chucks, Taste and Tell Thursdays, the Farm Girl Blog Fest at Let This Mind Be In You.