by Gabi Moskowitz
Prep Time 0:15
Cook Time 0:35
Meatloaf has never been my favorite, but it’s just so damn inexpensive to make, I was determined to find a way to like it.
Here, I stirred moisture-preserving extra virgin olive oil into lean ground beef and loaded the whole thing with fresh vegetables. The meatloaf that resulted was juicy, tender and incredibly flavorful. Feel free to get creative with the vegetables you use. Also, I opted to skip the breadcrumbs, but you could certainly stir in 1/4 cup (Panko would be great) when you mix up the meat.
Note: I highly recommend brushing this with BBQ sauce after baking.
- ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef $3.50
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
- 1 egg, lightly-beaten $1.50 for 12
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
- 1/2 onion, chopped $0.50 for a whole onion
- 1 tsp each salt and freshly-ground black Pantry
- 1 1/2 tsp Ancho chili powder $1.50 for 1 oz.
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced $0.25
- about 12 small cherry or grape tomatoes, de-stemmed, left whole $3.50 for a pint
- 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped $1 for a bunch
Total Cost of Ingredients: $11.75
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, combine beef, olive oil, egg, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, chili powder, carrot and tomatoes. Use hands to mix well. Divide into 2 equal portions.
Line a 10-oz. bread pan with parchment paper and press half of the meat-veggie mixture into the bottom of the pan. Top with the chopped spinach, then cover with the second half of the meat-veggie mixture. Press down to push them together. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray and gently lift the pan up, leaving the meatloaf. Use your hands to shape and seal the edges so the spinach is tucked inside the meatloaf.
Bake for 28-35 minutes, until meatloaf is firm. Let cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with tomato sauce or prepared BBQ sauce if desired.
Serves 3-4.
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What They're Saying
Alice, on Feb 6, 06:40 AM, wrote:
This is definitely a family favorite! The doubled recipe is devoured for dinner and the meatloaf sandwiches at lunch are wolfed down. Yummy!