The following recipe was used, verbatim, from Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics cookbook. I have to say, it was the first time I have ever been dissatisfied with a Paul Deen recipe. However, my hubby really lapped it up! He enjoyed it immensely.This is a simple recipe, and perhaps if the juice from the tomatoes was left out would be more a consistency that I would enjoy. However, this meatloaf was a bit "mushy" for my taste. I prefer a firmer texture. And the mustard added to the tomato topping was not something I enjoyed at all. Here's the recipe. You try it out, and let me know what ya'll think!!!
Basic Meatloaf
Serves 6-8 generous portions.
Prep time: 15 minutes.
Baking time: 1 hour
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef [I used 90/10]
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all meat loaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf. [Note: I found the mixture too "soupy" to make into a loaf, so I just used a loaf pan, and placed it in it.]
Topping:
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar [I used dark brown sugar]
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Mix all ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour. Note: I let the finished meatloaf sit for about 10-minutes before cutting, because it still seemed too wet to me. This didn't help at all. It was still "mushy" in the center, and tended to be difficult to cut as it just fell apart when trying to serve.
As I said, while I didn't like it, my hubby loved it! So please let us know what you thought of it.
[The finished meatloaf.]
