It’s amazing how some things stick with you from your childhood. Take my mom’s meat loaf for example… it scared me for years and I am now just able to consider it. There was rice in her meat loaf, some weird tomato sauce… dude, it just weirded me out. My mom is a good cook but for some reason the thought of meat loaf, or beef loaf as my sister and I would call it, terrified my when I was younger. Now being some years later and being able to cook I am in control of what goes in my meat loaf and man is it delicious!
I love putting soaked bread in there to help keep it moist. I love folding in peppers and onions for a nice zing, and most importantly, I like being able to customize them with toppings to service the whole family. By simply keeping a staple recipe for the meatloaf and being able to accessorize the top with delicious sauces and toppings, I can feed the masses including their personal tastes. This is a great way to serve a picky family without spending tons of extra time making it happen.
If my mom would have done something like this then maybe I would have listened, but either way I’ve got a solution these days! Enjoy it!
Mini Meatloaf - 4 Recipes
INGREDIENTS
- 6 slices of bacon
- 1/3 cup of ketchup
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- ¼ cup of brown sugar
- ¼ cup of your favorite bbq sauce
- ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup of your favorite salsa
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl mix together the bread, beef, peppers, onions, garlic, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and salt and pepper until completely combined and set aside.
- Next line 1 mini loaf pan with the 6 slices of bacon and add in the meatloaf until the top and fold the bacon over covering it completely.
- Add the remaining meatloaf to the other 3 mini loaf pans and bake in the oven at 400° for 40 minutes.
- Sweet Soy Glaze: In a small bowl whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce and sugar to make a sweet soy glaze.
- Once the meatloaf is done brush on the sweet soy glaze to one of the meatloaves, bbq sauce to another meatloaf, and cheese and salsa to the last one.
- Serve hot!
