Cheap Recipe: Homemade Meatloaf

For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.

Meatloaf, taters and lots of ketchup. What could be more perfect?

Everyone makes meatloaf their own way. Some folks use crackers, some use oatmeal, others use TVP–the possibilities are endless.

For me, though, I like to stick with straight-up bread crumbs or stuffing mix for a tender meatloaf that holds together and provides lots of flavor. (With, of course, a TON of ketchup.)

Begin by preheating oven to 350 degrees. Chop 1/2 bell pepper (green or red), a small handful of parsley and 2-3 large green onions or 1/2 yellow onion

Onions, pepper and parsely.

 into very small pieces. (You can substitute celery for the pepper or dried parsley for fresh, if you like.)

Place diced vegetables into one side of a large mixing bowl. On the other side of the

About 1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs.

bowl, dump 1 cup seasoned fine bread crumbs (or crushed instant stuffing mix like Stove Top).

Sprinkle 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp onion powder (or minced onion flakes) over bread crumb side. Add salt and pepper to taste. Over the vegetable side,

Ketchup & eggs instead of milk.

 crack 2 eggs. (You can use 1 egg and some milk instead, but if your meat is particularly fatty like mine was, it’s a good idea to just use 2 eggs and omit the milk.)

Squirt about 1/3 cup ketchup over the bread crumbs and mix the two sides together with

The two sides of meatloaf. 🙂

wooden spoon or hands.

Next, add in approximately 1 lb. ground beef or turkey and 1 lb. sausage (pork or turkey variety). You can also substitute ground deer or bison for the meat. This will give you a leaner loaf.

If you’re lucky, your local discount store will sell you packaged meatloaf meat already measured and weighed together. This is a great deal if

Ground beef & sausage packaged together for meatloaf!

you find it, because not only is it often cheaper than buying what you need of meat and sausage separately, but also because they tend to lean a little heavier on the

Add the meat to the veggie/bread mixture.

ground beef than the sausage rather than 2 even pounds. This combination makes for less grease during cook time.

I bought 2 lbs. raw meatloaf base packaged together for $3.73 at my local Mad Pricer! Try getting a decent pound of burger AND a pound of sausage for that total price!

Incorporate the raw meat into the veggie/bread crumb mixture. Add more ketchup if dry pockets won’t blend.

Squoosh some ketchup all over the top before baking. Mmm!

Coat a regular-sized loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and spoon the mixture in,

Hello, beautiful.

being sure to press down any sparse areas until loaf is uniformly dense and top is even.

Cover the top of the uncooked loaf with ketchup (about 2/3 cup) and place loaf pan uncovered into the oven for approximately 1 hour or until browning at edges is noticeable.

Adjust for taste; some folks like a crispy-sided meatloaf and others like it to fall apart a little bit. Bake at least 50 minutes, though, to guarantee doneness in the middle of the loaf.

Remove from oven and let stand at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with–you guessed it–ketchup.