Meatloaf Monday!

Meatloaf BEFORE putting it in the oven.

Everyone was so hungry I forgot to take a picture of the finished product! But it was lovely!!

We're back home after a trip to see my hubby's family in Arkansas. My MIL fed us extremely well, and I promise to duplicate her recipes in upcoming posts so you all can "get poned up" on yummy cooking! But in the meantime, it's back to the usual routine, and tonight it's Meatloaf Monday.

My husband is a physician, and he works his fingers to the nubbins on Mondays -- too many patients and too little time. So after a hard day, I like to treat him to a meal that "sticks to his ribs." Meatloaf is the perfect follow-up to our pre-dinner Maker's Mark and ginger ale!!

Keep in mind that locating a gluten-free meatloaf recipe is kind of like trying to find a dish that's gluten-free in an Italian restaurant. Almost impossible! But I concocted this yummy recipe using oatmeal and bratwurst -- it's a winner. I've tried it with turkey, and I've tried it with ground beef. Both were delicious and made even tastier sandwiches the next day.

Monday Meatloaf (or any day of the week!)

Ingredients

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats (Bob's Red Mill is gluten free)

1/2 cup milk

1 medium onion, peeled

2 pounds of ground beef or turkey

2 links of bratwurst taken out of the membranes

2 eggs beaten

1/2 c. chopped bell pepper (green or red is ok)

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

8 oz. tomato sauce (to pour over the top -- don't mix it in the meat!)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In small bowl, stir together the oats and milk. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice 1/4 of the onion and set aside. Chop the remaining onion into small bits.

In a large bowl, combine the meat, sausage, oat mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and a few grinds of the black pepper. Mix until well combined.

Transfer mixture to one 9 x 13 pan, sprayed with cooking oil. Pour the tomato sauce over the top of the loaf. Then sprinkle the sliced onions on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1-1/2 hours (in my convection oven) or until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

I served this with buttermilk mashed potatoes and asparagus. Most of it was eaten by this family of four!