It's Difficult to Make Meatloaf Look Attractive...But Nevertheless I Tried

 

Here:  I made meatloaf.  I totally get that meatloaf is one of those things that usually gets a bad reputation...it definitely isn't seen as gourmet, although there's no denying that it is absolute comfort food.

This recipe has been our go-to meatloaf dish for probably over 5 years now.  Like all good things, it starts with Paula Deen.  But, like with most recipes, it's evolved to become truly our own, especially over the last few years.

I will post the recipe with my alterations and also provide the link to Paula's Original Barbeque Meatloaf here.  There are just about 2 or 3 small ingredient shifts with mine, involving the onion and the vinegar.  Mr. My Blog for Bonnie and I always loved the onion in the meatloaf (the original recipe calls for a full diced onion) but there's no denying that it made the meatloaf pretty crunchy.  The onion wasn't sauteed ahead of time to soften it, and baking it didn't fully do the job.  If you want to continue using an actual onion, I would suggest sauteeing it for about 5 to 7 minutes until it softens and becomes translucent, then adding it to the mixture.  However, one crazy night, I was left with only my wits to help me improvise this ingredient:  I set out everything and discovered that we had forgotten to buy an onion for this.  In a pinch...and I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it....I used Onion Powder.  I realized I had to make up for an entire onion, so I used about 3 tablespoons.  I also threw some garlic powder in for good measure.  It was one of those happy accidents: the meatloaf was the best it had ever been and we've used onion powder ever since!  It took away the crunching texture and made it taste very uniform and smooth, almost like a giant meatball.  Seriously guys, so good.  Oh, and the original recipe also calls for fresh breadcrumbs, but really, have you ever met anyone in life who has time for that?  I use Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, which are way easier and also add more flavor to the meatloaf.

Another alteration involves using Balsamic Vinegar instead of white vinegar.  Again, I was in a pinch and realized I was out of white vinegar so I substituted balsamic, which worked great.  It made the barbeque sauce have a real depth of flavor that it didn't have previously.  

Make this meatloaf.  It is so easy, and it lasts for 2 nights in our house.  It is superb as a sandwich with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese on it.  Better yet, you can prepare it the day before, as I did.  I assembled the entire thing, topped it with the homemade barbeque sauce, then stuck toothpicks in it before covering it with foil and refrigerating (so the foil wouldn't stick to the sauce and make an unholy mess.)  Then Mr. My Blog for Bonnie just baked the entire thing when he got home from work. Couldn't be easier!

BBQ Meatloaf, My Blog For Bonnie Style 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (we rarely use beef)
• 1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
• 3 or 4 tablespoons of onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the turkey, bread crumbs, onion and garlic powders, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire. Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices.