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FROM KITCHEN “DISASTER” TO TREASURED RECIPE
I’ll begin by saying, “I HATE meatloaf.”
Always have since I was a child. My kitchen odyssey has been at times
to experiment with this hated dish to see if I could come up with
something the least bit palatable–to me at least.
About
4 or so years ago, I decided to give this a go yet again. Figured at
least my dogs would be happy to eat the failures as they were in the
past.
I thought breakfast sausage
might do the trick since I always liked that at least. With the thrill
and anticipation of yet another kitchen experiment, I happily started
defrosting my bulk sausage roll and a pound of ground beef that weren’t
working too hard in my freezer. Come to discover I was out of plain
breadcrumbs and didn’t feel like trekking to the store just for that, so
I figured a substitution of some Pepperidge Farm poultry stuffing that I
still had in the bag would fill the bill rather nicely.
Delicious and unusual meatloaf |
So I get everything mixed up nicely and ready to shape, when to my horror, I discovered I’d bought and mixed in MAPLE
flavored sausage. A bit saddened at this potential waste of good food
(dogs were excited though LOL), I shaped and baked this anyway.
After about 30 minutes, a very appetizing aroma was coming from my kitchen. I couldn’t believe this; meatloaf???? Smelling good??? I couldn’t wait to taste test this.
Eureka!
I’d found it! From these potential disasters often come treasured
family favorites. This is one of them and here it is.
Maple Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 8 oz maple-flavored bulk sausage
- 1 cup dry poultry stuffing such as Pepperidge Farm
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add stuffing mix and onion. Add 2 tbs of warm water and toss to coat. Crumbs should not be wet, just slightly damp. Let this stand until water is absorbed, maybe 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Shape into loaf and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until internal temperature is 160 degrees (it will rise to 170 during the standing time). Slice and serve. Mashed potatoes go nicely with this, and of course, gravy that you can make from the wonderful drippings.
- Slow Cooker Directions: Mix and shape as directed above. Place in a 5 quart slow cooker (preferably on a rack) and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, HIGH 3-5 hours.
Nutrition
Maple Meatloaf |
Angie's Recipes says
My husband loves meatloaf! This looks hearty and satisfying.
Carole says
Hi there. The current Food on Friday on Carole's Chatter is all about meatloaf. I do hope you link this nice one in. This is the link . Please do pop back to check out some of the other links. Have a great week.
Judith Hanneman says
Thanks Carole…sure will!
Carole says
Judy, thank you for linking this in to Food on Friday. We are now getting a great collection of meatloaves together. I hope you have stopped by some of the other links to check them out!
Ps I have just signed up to follow your blog. A follow back to Carole's Chatter would be wonderful – or have you already followed? Cheers
Judith Hanneman says
Sure will <3
John Dikes says
Am I weird for making meatloaf as our standard snack in poker night? I'd love to have some of these!
Judith Hanneman says
Nope John…not weird, sensible LOL!!!!
Alysha Bronson says
Is the sausage already cooked or raw?
Judith Hanneman says
Alysha–the sausage is raw when it goes in. It will be totally cooked after the baking time. I would also advise cooking the meatloaf on a rack to let the fat drip down. Hope you enjoy this!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
I like the combination and sweet and savory. I never have disliked meatloaf as long as it was topped with a ketchup mixture. I'd be more than willing to give this a try!