Saturday, May 17, 2008

Veggie Meatloaf Recipe

I'm not one to buy tons of ground beef as I know is the American way and all... but recently, a friend made a special request for my meatloaf, a recipe I make maybe once every two years! I asked, "You mean the one with all the shredded veggies in it?" And he insisted that no way did it have veggies. But that's the only way I make a meatloaf, so whatever concoction it was he was reminiscing about had to be my veggie version. And it's true, it's kinda hard to tell there are veggies in it unless you look closely... they kinda blend in texturally and aren't all that visible, either.

This isn't an all veggie recipe, by any means... we're still looking at about 1.25-1.75lbs of ground beef in each loaf, but it's a way to cut back on some of the red meat involved, while working in some oats and veggies that take nothing away from your meatloaf experience, aside from dryness and fat. The following proportions make for a nice, moist, intact meatloaf with a rich flavor, but I hope to keep decreasing the meat and increasing the veggies little by little to see how far I can push it, and I'd love to try this as a ground turkey loaf, so if that goes well, I'll follow up on it.

Here goes, in bulk quantity to make four large (to the top of the loaf pan) or 5-6 medium sized loaves (they freeze):

7 lbs of ground beef (80% lean, will be drained off partway through cooktime)
4 zucchinis, shredded or grated
1 8 oz pack of button mushrooms, chopped
2 cups of shredded carrots
2 chopped onions
2 chopped green or red bell peppers (optional)
8 whole eggs (some say egg whites will do, it's worth a try)
1/2 c seasoned bread crumbs
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup bbq sauce or ketchup (plus more to layer on top halfway through cook time)
4 TB worcestershire sauce
4 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt

Beat the eggs separately, then handmix everything together (it's so much that it's just easier to get your hands messy or put on some kitchen gloves and use your hands to mix it all up). Spread in 4-6 loaf pans, pressing down firmly to remove air pockets. Bake, uncovered, at 450 for 45min. Pull out and drain off excess fat, then spread on about a half cup of ketchup or bbq sauce on top of each loaf and return to the oven, reducing heat to 350F for another 30-45min. Use a meat thermomenter to check for a done temperature (the specifics of which escape me at the moment).

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