Marilyn's Crock Pot Meatloaf

Looking for a new meatloaf recipe you can make and let your crock pot do the cooking? Then this one is it! While speaking with a long time family friend recently, she told me about this meatloaf recipe that she got from her Italian mother in-law over 45 years ago. 

I had just purchased some ground beef and wanted to give it a try, but the night I planned on making it we had some change in plans and I wouldn't be home long enough to cook it on top of the stove. She didn't give me any measurements other than what ingredients were in it so I just had to eyeball it until it looked right to me. I mixed all of the ingredients and put it in my crock pot instead and I have to say it was delicious and moist and everyone loved it. I served mine with egg noodles, fresh green beans and a salad. Thanks for a great recipe Marilyn! <3

Marilyn's Crock Pot Meatloaf
1 lb. Ground Beef (I used 85% lean)
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 Egg
1/2 c. Italian Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10oz. Mushrooms, washed and sliced
6oz. Hunt's Tomato Paste
12oz. Water
1 tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet



Directions:
1. Heat oil in a nonstick saute pan, then add in the mushrooms. Cook until they start to soften. 
2. While the mushrooms are cooking, add the beef, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, egg, and breadcrumbs to a bowl. Mix well then form into a rectangle shape. 
3. Place the meatloaf into your crock pot; then place the cooked mushrooms on top. 
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the tomato paste, water and kitchen bouquet; then add it to the crock pot. 
5. Cook on low 4-6 hours or warm 6-8 hours. If you'd like to cook this on top of the stove, place in a covered Dutch oven and cook over a very low heat for 1-1 1/2 hours. Makes 8 slices. 

*Nutritional Information per Slice: Calories 196, Carbs 10.2g, Fat 11.3g, Protein 14g, Fiber 1.9g, Sugar 3.9g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate. 

Enjoy!

Shared on Weekend Potluck 4/5/13

Balsamic Meatloaf

What can you say about meatloaf? It certainly  has been a food staple in the home for many, many years and was originally created as a way to stretch the food budget by using inexpensive meat and fillers. There are so many different variations of meatloaf and this one was inspired by Mia's Domain when she first posted her recipe for a Balsamic Glazed Meatloaf back in May 2011. Now I didn't copy her recipe in it's entirety, but I wouldn't have thought of adding vinegar to my meatloaf before I saw this either. It was delicious and gave it just a hint of that wonderful balsamic flavor. 

Balsamic Meatloaf
Inspired by Mia's Domain
1 1/2 lb. Lean Ground Beef
1/4 c. Red Onion, minced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
2 Eggs
1/4 c. Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 c. Pecorino Romano Cheese
1 c. Panko Breadcrumbs

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix together the beef, onion, garlic, thyme, eggs, vinegar, cheese and breadcrumbs until well combined. 
2. Shape into a rectangle, place in an oven-safe baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until proper internal temperature is reached. Makes 8 slices. 

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 254, Carbs 7.6g, Fat 11.9g, Protein 25.5g, Fiber .4g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy! 

*You can substitute ground turkey and ground chicken in place of the beef. 

Italian Meatloaf

Are you noticing a theme lately? I have SO many tomatoes that I keep adding them to everything! And yes, I have made sauce with them already too, but they just keep multiplying! For today's recipe, I used some of my all-time favorite flavors and incorporated them into this meatloaf; however, if meatloaf isn't your thing, you can make them into hamburger patties or individual serving loaves like I did with the Feta & Sage Chicken Mini Meatloaf as well. This was deliciously moist and flavorful, but then again, how could it not be?

Italian Meatloaf
1 lb. 95/5 Lean Ground Beef*
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano (or 1/2 tbsp. fresh)
1 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 tbsp. Red Onion, minced
1/4 c. Fresh Tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
1/2 c. Italian Bread Crumbs

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. 
2. Shape into a rectangle and place in an oven safe baking dish. 
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until proper internal temperature is reached. Makes 8 slices. 

*Tip: You can substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef. 

*Nutritional Information per Slice: Calories 152, Carbs 5.1g, Fat 6.3g, Protein 17.6g, Fiber .2g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy! 

Shared at Thursday's Treasures 9/20/12
Shared at Church Supper/Everyday Mom's Meals 9/23/12

Fiesta Turkey Meatloaf

I have NO idea what made me think of adding fresh limes to my ground turkey the other day, but I was certainly glad I did! The summer always make me crave foods that are light and refreshing and limes and cilantro certainly do the trick. I originally wanted to make these as burgers, but as soon as I was about to prepare them, we had this deluge of rain come down and I wasn't about to stand outside and grill them.  If you have some jalepeno peppers, add them as well to give it more of a kick! 

Fiesta Turkey Meatloaf
1 lb. 99/1 Ground Turkey
1/2 c. Tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. Red Onion, grated
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Lime, zest and juice
1 tbsp. Canola Oil
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper




Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together, then form into a rectangle shape. 
2. Place in an oven safe baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until proper internal temperature is reached. Serves 6. 

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Calories 93, Carbs 2.6g, Fat 1.5g, Protein 18g, Fiber .7g, Sugar .5g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 

Enjoy! 

Shared at Thursday's Treasures 8/23/12

Feta & Sage Mini Chicken Meatloaf

So if you can't tell by my picture, I'm spilling a secret. These are actually mint leaves in the photo, not sage leaves. I completely forgot to save one for photo purposes after the meatloaf was done and used all of what I had in the recipe. Oh well, nobody's perfect right! These little meatloaves were still delicious and I loved the flavors of the sage and Feta cheese combined together. I also wanted to use a mini square loaf pan so that I could get individual portions, but feel free to make it full size. I have to say, my little one doesn't generally like ground chicken or turkey, but DEVOURED these. So I don't know if she liked the taste or that they were cute and little for her to eat! In any event, it was another healthy meal the whole family enjoyed. 

Here are some storage tips I found for fresh sage since it's a spice that I myself only started using a few years ago. 

Fresh sage leaves should be aromatic and should have no soft spots or dry edges. To store, wrap in paper towels and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and use within 4 to 5 days. According to About.com, fresh leaves may also be covered in olive oil and stored in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Use the flavored oil for sauteeing or in salad dressings. To freeze fresh sage leaves, wash and pat dry, remove leaves from the stems, and pack loosely in freezer bags. Freeze up to 1 year. Be aware that freezing will intensify the flavor of the herb and adjust accordingly. Dried sage is preferred by most cooks and comes in whole leaf, rubbed, and ground form. Rubbed sage has a light, velvety texture, whereas ground sage is more of a free-flowing powder. As with all dried herbs, store closed containers in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. Use within 6 months for best flavor.

Feta & Sage Mini Chicken Meatloaf

1 lb. Ground Chicken

1 tbsp. Fresh Sage, chopped

1 tbsp. Red Onion, finely chopped

½ c. Reduced Fat Feta Cheese, crumbled

1 Egg white

¼ c. Italian Flavored Breadcrumbs

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Form into 6 portions, then place into a greased mini loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes or until the proper internal temperature is reached. Serves 6. 

Nutritional Information: 

Calories 195, Carbs 4g, Fat 14g, Protein 14g

Enjoy!

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into MyFitnessPal and may not be 100% accurate.

Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Meatloaf

This was as good as it sounds, trust me and since today is National Poultry Day, this seems all too fitting for today's post 


I had set out to purchase ground turkey, but the ground chicken was half the price and since I knew I was going to be making a meatloaf out of it, chicken it was going to be. Making a meatloaf is a great way to use up leftover vegetables you may have from the week, like the spinach I added to this and it's so easy. Simply add everything to one bowl, mix and bake. If you're short on time during the week, prepare it the night before as it does heat up well. This meatloaf had all of the wonderful flavors of spinach artichoke dip and my family LOVED it! 

Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Meatloaf
1 lb. Ground Chicken
1 c. Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and drained
1 c. Artichokes, chopped
1/2 c. Asiago Cheese, shredded
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 c. Panko Breadcrumbs


In a bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended. Form into a rectangular shape and place in an oven safe baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until it has reached its proper internal temperature. Makes 8 slices. 


Points+=4pts per slice


Enjoy!

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Tomato, Basil & Feta Meatloaf

Cooking in this house is all about seeing what I happen to have laying around at that particular moment and using up the odds and ends so that it doesn't go to waste. The day I made this meatloaf, I did just that. It was very flavorful and came out perfectly moist. I also prefer to use ground beef vs. the beef, pork, veal mixture since I don't care for veal. 

Tomato, Basil & Feta Meatloaf
1 lb. Ground Beef (85%/15% lean)
1/2 c. Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. Plum Tomatoes, sliced
2 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, chopped
3 oz. Crumbled Feta
1/4 c. Panko
1 Egg
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well blended. Form into a rectangular shape and place in an oven safe dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until the meat has reached the proper internal temperature. Serves 4-6. 


Points+=4 per slice


Enjoy!

Sun Dried Tomato Turkey Meatloaf

See, you had to know this was coming after I made the Oven Dried Sun Dried Tomatoes didn't you? :)  I just love the flavor of them mixed with basil and of course, mushrooms...I tend to use mushrooms in everything! This meatloaf was so delicious and flavorful. I've said it before, but I really prefer to use the 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey. It is much lighter in color and doesn't have that "gamey" taste like the 93% sometimes does. This meatloaf was so good and full of flavor. 

Sun Dried Tomato Turkey Meatloaf
1 lb. 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey
4 White Mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp. Red Onion, minced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 c. Sun Dried Tomatoes(in oil), chopped 
(I used the homemade version but store bought is also fine)
2 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
1/4 c. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated












In a small frying pan, heat oil and add mushrooms, onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until the mushrooms soften. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. In a bowl, add your turkey basil, cheese and mushroom mixture. Mix well until all ingredients have been incorporated.  Form into a rectangular shape, place in an oven safe dish and bake 350°F for approximately 1 hour or until internal temperature of 170°F. Serves 6.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Calories 140, Carbs 2.7g, Fat 5.7g, Protein 19.4g, Fiber .8g, Sugar 1.5g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 

Enjoy!