Not Just Another Meatloaf

Ingredients

Meatloaf Ingredients:

1 Carrot, Coarsely Chopped

1 Rib Celery, Coarsely Chopped

½ Onion, Coarsely Chopped

8 White Mushrooms, Coarsely Chopped

3 Cloves Garlic, Coarsely Minced

3 Pounds Ground Chuck

3 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 Egg, Beaten

1 Teaspoon Dried Italian Herbs

2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt

1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 Cup Plain Bread Crumbs

6 Teaspoon Olive Oil

Glaze Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Hot Pepper Sauce To Taste (Optional)

Directions

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Step 2 Place the carrot, celery, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a food processor, and pulse until very finely chopped, almost to a puree. Place the minced vegetables into a large mixing bowl, and mix in ground chuck, Worcestershire sauce, and egg. Add Italian herbs, salt, black pepper. Mix gently with a wooden spoon to incorporate vegetables and egg into the meat. Pour in bread crumbs and 3 Teaspoons olive oil. With your hand, gently mix in the crumbs with your fingertips just until combined, about 1 minute.

Step 3 Form the meatloaf into a ball. Pour olive oil into a baking dish and place the ball of meat into the dish. Shape the ball into a loaf, about 4 inches high by 6 inches across.

Step 4 Bake in the preheated oven just until the meatloaf is hot, about 15 minutes.

Step 5 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and hot sauce. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Step 6 Remove the meatloaf from the oven. With the back of a spoon, smooth the glaze onto the top of the meatloaf, then pull a little bit of glaze down the sides of the meatloaf with the back of the spoon.

Step 7 Return meatloaf to oven, and bake until the loaf is no longer pink inside and the glaze has baked onto the loaf, 40 to 50 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loaf should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Cooking time will depend on shape and thickness of the meatloaf. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting. See our posts on meatloaf sides 1&2 ….Serves 10