Meatloaf For People Who Don't Like Meatloaf

Meatloaf strikes fear into the hearts of many people. I think a lot of people have had really nasty meatloaf over the years, and it's turned meatloaf into something scary in our collective consciousness. As a general rule, I don't care for meatloaf. I think baked ketchup is disgusting and most meatloaves are chock full of onions, something that no matter how hard I try, I still dislike, especially in large amounts. But this meatloaf is different. My Grandma Elaine gave the recipe to my mom years ago, and we've been enjoying it ever since. Over the years I've shared the recipe with several other people who said they didn't like meatloaf (my husband included), but changed their minds after trying this recipe, hence the name!

If you do try this recipe and decide you like it enough to make it again in the future, I suggest investing in a 2-piece meatloaf pan. The smaller pan has little holes on the bottom of it so as your meatloaf bakes, the fat from the ground beef drips down into the larger pan. I bought mine at Wal-Mart a few years ago. I think I paid $10 but I really can't remember. It's especially nice if, like me, you slaughter your own beef and end up with ground beef with a higher fat content. (Okay, technically I don't even have cows, much less slaughter my own beef, but my in-laws have cows and every year I end up with a freezer full of ground beef.) The point is if you just use a normal loaf pan, sometimes your meatloaf ends up swimming in fat and it's just kind of gross.

Meatloaf For People Who Don't Like Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 c. soft bread crumbs (2 slices of bread broken into itty bitty pieces)

1/4 c. grated carrots (about 1 carrot)

1/2 c. milk

1 egg

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Sauce:

1/2 c. ketchup

4 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. mustard

In medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, carrots, milk, egg, salt, and pepper. Add ground beef and mix thoroughly (you can do it with a fork, but I recommend digging in with your bare hands). Press into 9x5" loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour 1/2 to 2/3 of sauce on meatloaf and bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Serve with remaining sauce.