Make Meatloaf More Interesting
Add Flavor And Make Your Food Money Go Further
Ground or minced beef is one of the cheapest meat meals and meatloaf is a favorite standby for the family cook. Using your own favorite meatloaf recipe, ring the changes with some of these ideas. Using simple ingredients will make the meat go further, as well as adding interest. Keep your family guessing what you'll reveal when you slice and serve!
Hot and Spicy
De-seed red or yellow peppers and blister them in a hot oven for a few minutes, until the skins blacken and come away easily. Then cut into strips. Half-fill your loaf pan with meat mixture, layer the pepper strips through the middle, cover with meat and cook as usual for a colorful and tasty meal.
Take a small can of kidney or black beans. Add the flesh of a large chopped tomato or a couple of drained canned tomatoes. Mix with a pinch of dried chilis and Tabasco sauce, adjusting the quantities according to how hot you like your food. Layer the bean and tomato mix into the centre of the meatloaf mixture as above, and cook as usual.
Bacon and Eggs for Extra Protein
Hard-boil three medium or large eggs. When cool, peel them and place them end to end on a layer of meatloaf in your loaf pan. Pack more meat carefully around them so they keep their shape but are enclosed and covered in meat, then cook as usual. When you slice into the meatloaf each slice will have a ring of egg in the middle.
You can also add crisp-fried cubes of pancetta or fatty bacon, either layered through the middle instead of the eggs, or in a separate layer above a thin layer of meat. Try using uncooked pancetta cubes as a topping for a bacon-and-egg meatloaf, instead of ketchup or barbecue sauce.
Cheeseburger Loaf
Half fill your meatloaf pan and add a thick layer of grated cheese. Add a thin layer of meat, so the cheese is covered, and a layer of thinly sliced onions. Fill the pan with the remaining meat, brush with ketchup and cook as usual.
Oriental Tofu Loaf
Take a pack of firm tofu and cut it into half inch cubes. Marinade them in soy sauce for a couple of hours, then fry gently in a little sesame or peanut oil with four or five chopped scallions or green onions and a teaspoonful of unsweetened preserved ginger, until the tofu is browned all over. Half fill your pan with meat, layer the tofu mixture on top and cover with more meat.
If your family enjoy sweet tastes, try leaving out the ginger and adding a couple of tablespoons of hoisin or teriyaki sauce. Brush extra sauce across the top of the meatloaf before baking instead of ketchup.You can also use smoked tofu for a change of flavor.
Spiced Peanuts For Extra Crunch
Roast a couple of handfuls of peanuts in a dry frying pan with a teaspoonful of ground cumin. When the cumin changes colour and the peanuts are browned, layer them into the meatloaf as above, Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on top instead of ketchup, and cook as usual.
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