Not Your Momma’s Meatloaf

Oh how I LOATHED meatloaf as a child. I’m not sure if it was my hatred for onions or the overwhelming taste of ketchup cooked into my beef, but I couldn’t stand it. Thankfully we didn’t eat it often. As an adult I still have a distaste for most traditional meatloaf.

I decided to try to make a meatloaf that I would enjoy. I do like onions now that I’m a grown up (if they are chopped finely enough and cooked in something.) I can’t, however, tolerate them raw. bleck! It’s just too much. This meatloaf doesn’t have the ketchup which is high in sugar. I replaced ketchup with a sugar free salsa. And I added in bell peppers since I was going with a Mexican style meatloaf.  Who doesn’t like peppers? Okay, my son doesn’t. But even he loved the finished product… after he finished his whining since he could see the peppers. He ate it all up happily once I convinced him that one bite wouldn’t kill him.

Here is how you make my new quick and easy “Not Your Momma’s Meatloaf”.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of beef (preferably 100% grass fed organic)
• 1 tsp dried onion (or one small onion)
• 1 1/2 bell peppers (I used half of each of my yellow, red, and orange bell peppers)
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp sea salt. We buy our Redmonds Real Sea Salt from Thrive Market.
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder (I used ancho chili powder with no salt added or silicon dioxide- I bought mine at Target)
• 3/4 cup salsa (preferably organic with no sugar added)
• 1/2 cup oats (preferably organic) WE buy our organic oats at Thrive Market.
• 1 egg (preferably farm fresh organic)
• Coconut oil for greasing the bread pan.

Optional: if you would like to make this grain free you could substitute almond flour. I have not done this yet myself, so let me know how it turns out if you try it that way.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Grease your bread pan with coconut oil. I love my glass pyrex bread pans.

3. Chop your bell peppers and onion (if using) into small pieces and place them into a medium size mixing bowl.

4. Add oats, 1/4 cup of the salsa (leave 1/2 cup for later), and dry seasonings into the bowl.

5. Add your egg and beat it into the ingredients in the bowl.

6. Add your lb of beef. I like to then use my hands to mix the beef in and I’m careful not to play with the beef too much.

7. Then pack your beef into a loaf shape in your bread pan.

8. Add the remainder of your salsa (1/2 cup) on top of your meat loaf and spread it evenly.

9. Place in the oven for 45 minutes.

10. Take out your meatloaf, allow it to cool about 5 minutes then slice and enjoy.

I’ve eaten mine over a big bed of romaine lettuce as a salad.  I’ve also roasted some veggies to eat along with it.

Here’s my husband’s giant portion… since, well, he’s a giant. He enjoyed his with leftover mashed potatoes and gravy from Thanksgiving dinner with our family.

This meal reheats really well in the oven or toaster oven.

I hope you enjoy this no added sugar meatloaf that isn’t quite how your momma makes it.

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