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Quaker Oats Meatloaf
>> Friday, March 6, 2009
This is a prizewinning meatloaf. Strangely enough, when you go to Quaker's website, they don't provide the recipe. (Unless I didn't look thoroughly enough.) Anyway, I'm not certain but I think I have an early childhood recollection of this meatloaf. My friend wasn't sure but she thought her parents used that recipe. I liked it very much. It was unlike any other meatloaf I had. It was really good. I started making meatloaves after I met Steve. It seemed like a nice down home meal that I thought he'd really enjoy. Though we both like trying new fancier foods, we mostly like a good down to earth, hearty meal. We joking call meals like this, Heartland representing middle america. I don't know. I guess it's silly. Anyway, this is the only recipe I've ever used for meatloaf. There's a lot of pre-made ingredients in this meal so don't cringe.
The meatloaf recipe is purty darn easy to follow. There are several wet and dry ingredients to add to ground beef. Tomato juice (we used tomato sauce - not the prepared kind), oats (5 minute cooking kind), an egg, chopped onion, s & p. See? Easy. Then you shape it into a loaf. It called for a loaf pan but we didn't have a good one so we just hand shaped a loaf and put it on a sheet pan. It worked just fine. So ya bake for an hour and that's it. Oh, I put ketchup (yes, ketchup) on top of the loaf before cooking. I do this for two reasons: I like ketchup and I once saw my neighbor, who used to tutor me, do it to hers. And I remembered that I really liked the smell of it. So on it goes. On the side, I served mashed potatoes (russet potatoes mixed with lotsa butter, a hint of milk, and a little cream cheese) and store brand french style canned green beans. Oh, and Steve almost freaked out cause I forgot about the gravy. Well, all we had was a little pouch of McCormick's powdered gravy so I made that.
The verdict. Steve loved it. He said it was delicioso! Tender, moist and yummy it was. A very satisfying meal. And yes, the ketchup crust added something nice to it. The mashed potatoes were a little on the lumpy side. Little lumps that I couldn't seem to mash out. But the flavor and overall consistency was good. A guest tried a little of it and loved it. The canned green beans. Ever since I was a kid, I liked canned green beans. I like em fresh too but there's something about the mushiness and semi-saltiness that I fantasize about often. I don't have it alot but I think about it alot. So there have it, take a little time to make something traditional and you get to Eat Something Good!
Quaker Oats Prizewinning Meatloaf Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 cup tomato juice
3/4 cup oats, uncooked (quick or old-fashioned)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Ketchup for top (optional)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Combine all ingredients except ketchup. Mix lightly but thoroughly.
3. Press into an 8x4-inch loaf pan (or free form it and throw it onto sheet pan like we did.)
4. Spread some ketchup on top of it.
5. Bake 1 hour or until juices run clear
6. Drain (if in loaf pan) and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
4 comments:
Sounds like your whole meal turned out good. I like using oats in meatloaf instead of dry bread crumbs like my mother used to use. The way I make meatloaf probably sounds really strange, but we think it's good. I use ground beef, chopped onions, grated carrots, oats, eggs, mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, dry oregano, salt and pepper. I mix it all and put it in a loaf pan and bake until it's done. Sometimes I put half the meat mixture in the loaf pan, add a layer of something, maybe cubes of cheese or cheese & black olives, then I add the remaining meat mixture and cook until done.
I've only had meatloaf once since arriving in the States, and it was 'pub grub' at a place called the Rusty Bucket just outside of Columbus, OH. It was okay... a bit dry and nothing to write home about. I haven't made my own yet, but this idea of using oats sounds good. We eat a lot of oats too, so I know there'll be some in the cupboard. That's tonight's dinner sorted then! :)
Improve the gream beans by first frying up a few chopped yp slices of bacon. Next drain all but an ounce or of the water from the grean beans, and saute the beans in the bacon pan. The water will deglaze the pan and the bacony good stuff will flavor the otherwise bland beans.
May I also suggest making two loafs at a time? The best part about meatloaf is sandwiches. Slicing while chilled gives a firmer slice, and you can also pack a sandwich portion in a zip lock then freeze for a quick sach lunch sandwich.
Improve the gream beans by first frying up a few chopped yp slices of bacon. Next drain all but an ounce or of the water from the grean beans, and saute the beans in the bacon pan. The water will deglaze the pan and the bacony good stuff will flavor the otherwise bland beans.
May I also suggest making two loafs at a time? The best part about meatloaf is sandwiches. Slicing while chilled gives a firmer slice, and you can also pack a sandwich portion in a zip lock then freeze for a quick sach lunch sandwich.
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