One pound ground beef

Two or three slices day old bread, any variety, crumbled

One egg

1/4 cup each, finely diced mushroom, zucchini, onion, carrot, bell pepper, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, tomato, yellow squash

seasoning to taste (Spike, Jane’s, pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, seasoned salt, etc.)

gravy, tomato sauce or ketchup

Mix everything except gravy in a bowl until well blended. Smell the meat mixture. Does it need more pepper? More salt? If it seems too wet add more bread crumbs. Place in a pie plate and pat into a round loaf shape about 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until nicely browned on top. Cut into pie slices and serve with heated gravy or tomato sauce or ketchup for the white trash.

Serves: Well, that depends. I would say 4 if everyone got 1/4 of the loaf. In my house I get 1/3 and Michael gets 2/3.

Tips:

I use 80/20 or 73/17 ground beef for meat loaf. About halfway through cooking time I drain off all the fat. If you start with a lower fat ground beef it will result in a drier meatloaf.

Make sure your vegetables are diced very finely – 1/8 inch or smaller. Use a grater if you must.

Save crusts, heels, and other odds and ends of bread, buns and rolls in a double zip top bag in the freezer. This recipe is ideal for using those leftovers.

Serve this fab meatloaf with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles topped with the gravy or tomato sauce you’ve topped with. If using ketchup (yuck) boil your starch in beef or vegetable broth and top with butter and some herbs to plate (parsley, scallions, marjoram, pepper, etc.)