Family Dinner: Not Yo' Momma's Meatloaf

Kidding.  This could very well be your mom's meatloaf.  If it is, your mom is cool.  You should invite me to dinner at your house.

Meatloaf is one of those comfort food meals that is truly unique....it seems like no two recipes are alike. There are so many varieties out there, and it seems like everyone has a different way of making theirs, but everyone is partial to their mom's. When I started making my own, I made it just like my mom did, 80/20 beef, lots of eggs and milk, and topped with ketchup. (I refused to make it the way B's family used to make it....topped with cream of mushroom soup. Yuck!). Over time, I diverged from my mom's method and my recipe evolved to match my own preferences, and now this is my perfected "mom's meatloaf."

I keep this healthy by using 96/4 lean ground sirloin beef. I just can't bring myself to use ground turkey for this. I have tried, and is grosses me out for whatever reason.  And with nutritional info like this, there is no need.

Meatloaf
Makes 6 servings
170 cals / 4g fat / 14g carbs / 18g protein

1 lb 96/4 lean ground beef
1/2 small onion
2 celery stalks
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup plus 3 TB BBQ sauce, divided (I prefer the sweet and spicy kind)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Heat over to 350. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Mince the onion and the celery. You should end up with about 1/3 cup minced onion and 1/4 cup minced celery.

2. Place beef, egg, breadcrumbs, minced onion and celery, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Mix all together until evenly mixed. Get your hands dirty...seriously. Use your hands. It is the easiest and fastest way. Place beef mixture into loaf pan and smooth/shape into a loaf shape. Top with remaining 3 TB BBQ sauce.

3. Bake until cooked through, 45-60 minutes. Remove from oven and pour off any of the liquified fat. Slice and serve.