more meatloaf ideas, low prep dinner

We had meatloaf last night. I had dethawed it in the fridge and it was probably still a little frozen in the middle because after almost an hour in the oven, it was still not fully cooked. We were all really hungry, so I sliced it up and fried it in a pan with a touch of oil. The result? Delicious, fully-cooked, slightly crunchy meatloaf slices. Sometimes the mistakes lead to new discoveries! My husband wants it like this all the time now.

I served it with acorn squash which I cut in half, removed the seeds and put in the oven to cook with the meatloaf. I used one pan lined with foil because the meatloaf tends to drip sometimes, and then there is less clean-up. So, while the meat was sizzling away, Hubby scooped out the squash into a serving bowl with a little butter, brown sugar and salt. Yummy! M, now almost 4 years old, ate tons of squash and enjoyed the meatloaf as well.

Here is my post from last spring on meatloaf and second-go recipe for spaghetti sauce, which we'll be having tonight...

Whole Foods does these great little meatloafs for 6.99 a pound. (Usually ends up being about $9.) I baked it a few nights ago and we had Italian meatloaf with beans and mashed potatoes. (Initial bake takes 50-55 minutes, so not a last-minute meal.)

We eat less than half the first time around, so last night when we got home at 6, I put on a pot to boil for pasta and crumbled the left-over meatloaf, added some tomato sauce and served it with spaghetti and parmesan. I had enough leftover today for 2 lunches. 8 portions of protein from a $9 meatloaf, not bad!

Whole Foods Meatloaf sauce

time 15 minutes

Heat 12 inch skillet over med-high heat. Dice 1 medium onion and fry in 1 Tbsn olive oil until limp and soft. Add crumbled left-over meatloaf, 1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce and 1 can of diced tomatoes. Stir and simmer (turn down heat) until pasta is done. No need to season as the meat has plenty of herbs etc. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired!

Yummy and fast for those nights you can't drag them away from the park!