Italian Meatloaf

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 lbs lean ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (or equivalent good tomato pasta sauce)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 slices bread, crumbled. (i use italian bread crumbs usually. you can also use left over homemade italian croutons, and crush)
• 1/4 cup ketchup (or chili sauce for more zing)
• 1 -2 tablespoon horseradish
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 -2 dash tabasco sauce
• 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup pasta sauce (a good tomato based)
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1/3 cup cheddar cheese (or any of your favorite italian cheeses)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup brandy

Recipe

• 1 prehat over to 350 degrees.
• 2 mix the first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl.
• 3 mix all of the ingredients, except the last 3 which is for the topping.
• 4 then, place the mixture into a large bread pan or baking dish of your choice and spread it evenly.
• 5 bake for about 1 hour, then drain off the excess liquid and "ice" it with the topping.
• 6 the last few minutes of baking, mix 1/4 cup tomato sauce with with 1/3 chili sauce.
• 7 remove meatloaf from oven, drain of excess fat and spread with tomato topping.
• 8 sprinkle cheese over the top of tomato topping.
• 9 return to oven and bake another 15 minutes.
• 10 optional- for a gourmet topping, in a small sauce pan, except for the cheese, mix the last 5 ingredients and cook down until paste consistency and then spread on loaf and top with cheese -- an intensified touch to the meatloaf.