Meat Loaf

This is one of those traditional average American family recipes....pretty much everyone I know has a version of meatloaf. At one time, I thought all meat loaf was the same, but over the last few years I've discovered that there are some HUGE differences.

Here is my basic recipe:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
2 slices bread
1/2 cup ketchup
Salt & Pepper
Garlic
Worcestershire Sauce

I combine the meat, egg, slices of bread and ketchup, then liberally sprinkle with the spices & last add a couple splashes of Worcestershire Sauce. Put it in a loaf pan & add a stripe of ketchup down the center. Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes, then drain off all the grease. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Drain any additional grease and remove from the pan immediately, then let it sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

A variation that my family is very fond of is to use 1/2 cup of chunky salsa instead of the Worcestershire Sauce.

I have also used 1 lb ground beef with 1/2 lb of ground pork.

When I was a kid (yes, I'm OLD)....everyone used a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix as the seasoning, but since nobody in my family eats onion that has never been an option here (don't tell them the salsa I use has onions)