Sweater Weather Meat Loaf with Roasted Vegetables

Whenever I used to think of meat loaf, I would cringe.  I never thought too highly of the humble meatloaf, until I had it prepared this way at my husband's family's house.  I took my mother-in-love's recipe and added a few things to come up with a delicious one pot meal that now my husband and I just love to eat on a chilly day!

So this recipe is originally called Pot Roast Meat Loaf, because it is roasted in a pan with lots of beautiful vegetables just like a pot roast would.  I added what I had in my kitchen: carrots, potatoes, onion, and a more unusual addition of fresh green beans. I season them with salt, pepper, paprika, and basil, and then the meat loaf seasons them while cooking even more with it's yummy juices!  The vegetables make your meat loaf look even tastier whenever you take it out of the oven!  I love to cut my carrots on a bias for a little more elegance, but it will taste great however you chop!  After all, this is just a great rustic dish that you shouldn't have to fuss over. I like to have just a bit of a glaze on the meat loaf, so I came up with this simple one that's perfectly savory and sweet! You can add as much as your family likes.  You guys probably know by now that I believe you don't have to precisely stick to a recipe while cooking--but play around with it to satisfy you and your family's taste!

Hope you try this juicy recipe out sometime and enjoy Sweater Weather Meat Loaf with Roasted Veggies for yourself sometime. If you're like me, when the temperature drops outside and the fireplace is blazing inside, then it's time for comfort food!


Sweater Weather Meat Loaf with Roasted Vegetables

1 lb. lean ground beef
2/3 cup evaporated milk (or regular milk is great, too)
1/3 c. breadcrumbs
1/4 c. ketchup
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (add liberally)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
dried parsley
dried basil
paprika
olive oil

Glaze
Mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt and pepper.  This is a sweet and savory sauce.  You can add as much as you like to the meat loaf.

Mix in a large bowl: ground beef, milk, breadcrumbs, ketchup, salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Shape into a loaf in the center of a 9x13 in pan. 

Peel and dice the the potatoes and carrot and onion and toss together with greens beans, salt and pepper, paprika, basil and parsley with olive oil. 

Spread the vegetables around the meat loaf.  Sprinkle some basil over the meatloaf and drizzle a little olive oil over the top, as well.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes.  Uncover and add the glaze and bake uncovered for about 15 more minutes.  Turn on the broiler for the last 2 minutes to brown everything.