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Meatloaf for #SundaySupper #FamilyDinnerTable

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Meatloaf | Magnolia Days

It was a typical Sunday. I would wake to the sound of my parents preparing breakfast. My mom would mix the batter for pancakes or waffles and my dad would cook the bacon or sausage. We would sit together at the table and start the day with conversation and special Sunday breakfast. Later in the day would be our Sunday Supper. There was one I will remember forever. It was the first time I was responsible for making the main dish. Meatloaf was my choice because it was one of my favorite childhood meals.

Learning to cook as a kid is important. It was how I was able to make a meatloaf in my early teens. My mom taught me how to measure and follow recipe instructions. My dad taught me how to use a knife. Granted I only had to cut the onion, bell pepper, and celery into large chunks and then use a chopper to get it finely diced. Tip: It’s gadgets like that which kids can use and help out with tasks such chopping. Hand them the chopper and let them punch down on the top until it’s all chopped up. It’s a way to get everyone involved and spending time together in the kitchen.

The meatloaf recipe is from my mom. It is different from many others because it bakes with a sauce on top. It keeps it moist and gives a little extra something to spoon on each slice. No ketchup needed. Moistened bread cubes mixed in the loaf keep it from being dense. Serve it with mashed potatoes and a vegetable and you have a comforting and hearty meal.

Meatloaf | Magnolia Days

Today’s Sunday Supper is about favorite childhood meals. American Family Insurance understands the value of families spending time together cooking and enjoying a meal together. AmFam has launched a Back To The Family Dinner Table campaign and has partnered with Sunday Supper for our event.

There’s exciting news too: American Family Insurance is having a “Share Your Recipe” sweepstakes for 6 weeks with a weekly prize of a $100 Williams-Sonoma gift card plus a grand prize of a $500 Williams-Sonoma gift card. Share your family favorite recipe and you could also be included in their e-cookbook. Go here for the details -> AmFam Back to the Family Dinner Table Sweepstakes.

AmFam Back To The Family Dinnertable Logo

Follow American Family Insurance to keep up with the campaign and see the recipes being shared and the stories behind them: Pinterest | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | YouTube | Linkedin

Did you help in the kitchen when you were a kid? If so, did any of those meals turn into being your favorite? It happened for me. My very favorite is rouladen which I cooked soon after making meatloaf for the first time. It also happened to my fellow Sunday Supper bloggers. Scroll down to see their favorites and links to the recipes.

Meatloaf | Magnolia Days
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Meatloaf

A recipe for meatloaf, a classic ground beef dish made with onions, green peppers, celery and seasonings. It is baked with a sauce which keeps it moist.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Author Renee

Ingredients

For the meatloaf:

  • 1 cup soft bread cubes small
  • Milk or water
  • 1 pound ground beef or ground round
  • 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 tablesoons chopped fresh celery
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 egg slightly beaten
  • 4 ounces tomato sauce
  • 2 ounces water

For the sauce:

  • 4 ounces tomato sauce
  • 2 ounces water
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

For the meatloaf:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Moisten the bread cubes with a little milk or water. Squeeze the excess liquid out.
  3. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer mixture to a baking dish and form into a loaf.
  4. Leave about 1/4-inch between the loaf and the sides of the pan.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the loaf and return it to the oven and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes. (Internal temperature should be 160 degrees F or greater).

For the sauce:

  1. Stir together sauce ingredients in a small bowl until combined.

Recipe Notes

A recipe for meatloaf, a classic ground beef dish made with onions, green peppers, celery and seasonings. It is baked with a sauce which keeps it moist.

Here are favorite childhood meals by Sunday Supper bloggers. Please take the time to visit each one and read the stories behind what makes them special:

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement

Disclosures: This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own. This post contains an affiliate link.

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Comments

  1. I definitely used to help my mom cook…or, at least, keep her company in the kitchen and watch. She was my first teacher and meatloaf was a staple in our house. These days, it’s one of my favorite diner comfort foods to order but I don’t make it at home because I can’t get Brian to eat it. 😉

    Reply


    • 5 children old enough to sit at large Round Oak Table with Mother and Dad and the baby in a high chair!
      Hot homemade biscuits, white Gavey, Fried OR scrambled eggs, butter, home made grape jelly and sausage or bacon , constituted our Sunday Breakfast!!
      My sister & I set the table, Daddy helped with the meat and gavey,Mamma made everything else.
      Oh how good everything tasted and we too had good conversation. Sunday was the only time we had breakfast together. Then we had to hurry to get the dishes washed and clean the kitchen. Mamma would start fixing the meat for Sunday dinner after Church. We all went to church. Daddy would invite friends at church to come home and eat with us. Those were GOOD days.

      Reply

      • That paints a beautiful picture. It reminds me of the story my mom told me about how Sunday supper would be laid out on the table, ready to be eaten when everyone got home from church. Thank you so much for sharing your memory!

  3. Mmmmmm…..I love, love meatloaf! And I’d this is one of my mom’s recipes that I wish she’d have written down. Yours looks like it would please my family 🙂

    Reply

  4. I have yet to make a decent meatloaf. I try, I really do, but it never comes out right. My mom made the best meatloaf but can’t find her recipe now. I’m definitely giving your recipe a try as it looks great!

    Reply

  5. Ha! We were definitely a ketchup on our meatloaf family but I loved my mom’s recipe. Filled with onions, garlic and carrots. So moist and flavorful and by my teens I knew how to make it too.

    Reply

    • My mother used Quick cooking oats. I think it was 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups & 2 eggs if she used 3 pounds of ground beef. She also used ketchup. I make hers and it is good!!

      Reply

  9. Nothing says comfort like meatloaf! And my family does something similar with tomato sauce on top. You can find meatloaf in any New Jersey diner, but it always has brown gravy. I much prefer the tomato sauce, but next time I make it, I am trying your addition of mustard.

    Reply

  12. Meatloaf is one of those things that I hated as a kid. I make my own version, and thankfully, my kids CHEER when I announce that it is for dinner 😉 I agree – a food chopper is the best for kids!! I don’t use one anymore but that was very handy when my kids were smaller. I could set them at the table and let them go at it!

    Reply

    • You made me smile with reading your kids cheering over meatloaf. I didn’t know anyone got that excited over it. (Well, except me when it comes to this one).

      Reply

  14. Our entire family loves meatloaf and we will need to give your version a try soon.

    I love reading about your treasured family memories it is so lovely. Yes, getting kids to help out in the kitchen is so important and fun for all parties involved.

    Reply

  15. This is a great recipe for family or company, Renee! And with a little supervision the onion chopper is a great way to introduce kids to cooking =)

    P.s. Sunday was usually pancake day or waffle day in our house, too =)

    Reply

  16. Wow… this looks delicious! I love the sauce on it, and what a fun story of growing up. Also, great tip on the chopper. I think I’ll buy one for when I cook w/nieces and nephews! 🙂

    Reply

  19. Renee,
    I think I’ve said this before but I love that both of your parents were in the kitchen cooking. . . I think it’s so nice to see both mom and dad cooking! 🙂 Love this meatloaf. . meatloaf and mashed potatoes are a staple for me in the Fall. . yummm!!

    Reply

  21. I don’t know why meatloaf has such a bad reputation. I loved it as a child and still love it now! Yours with the sauce sounds delicious, Renee. When I was little, my parents divorced and when my mom went back to work, my older sister and I took turns making dinner. Nothing complicated, I’m sure, but I enjoyed my turns immensely.

    Reply

    • I don’t know why meatloaf has a bad reputation and we need to do something to change it. It’s great you and your sister helped out your mom by cooking while she had to work. I’m sure she appreciated it very much.

      Reply

  22. My mom makes a similar sauce for her meatloaf and it makes quite a difference in the flavor and texture. This looks fantastic and is so perfect for your #SundaySupper theme this weekend.

    Reply

  25. Hi Renee, Your meatloaf looks delicious. I’ve been in a meatloaf mood lately and just posted my version. It’s one of my favorite comfort foods and your photos are making me hungry!

    Reply

  26. When asking my family what they wanted for Christmas lunch, I offered prime rib, steaks, ham, turkey, etc. they asked for meatloaf. I made it but from then on, I never asked and just surprised them. The sauce looks especially good. Thank you.

    Reply

  27. You’ve got 0 minutes of prep time for the Sunday Dinner meatloaf so I was wondering where you get your chopped onions, celery bell pepper at?

    Reply

    • Sorry about that Marc. I switched recipe format software recently. The old one did not have separate prep and cook times. I have not had the chance to go back and update all the recipes (there is hundreds). I have updated this one.

      Reply

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