S.O. approved Chicken Meatloaf.

I don't care what anyone has to say about meatloaf, I think its great. For some reason, meatloaf reminds me of being home-- Actually, now that I think about it.. it must be the ketchup that reminds me of home because I do not recall either of my parents ever making meatloaf. However, I do remember putting ketchup on everything.

I still do.

I made this delicious and lean meatloaf that got the boyfriends approval on the first bite.

Here's the scoop:

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

-1/4 c fine bread crumbs - 2 eggs - 1/4 cup shredded cheese - 1 med/lg shredded carrot - 3 to 4 minced garlic cloves - 1 small onion finely chopped - 1/2 small red pepper finely chopped - Tbs salt - dash of pepper - Tbs of your favorite herb blend - Dash of your favorite spice, I used red pepper flakes -  
Not pictured: 1 lb of ground meat, I used 93/7 lean ground chicken.

TIP: Remember that tiny ingredients is key, you want to finely shred the carrots, and finely chop the onion, red pepper and garlic. Trust me, larger ingredients will destroy the integrity of your meatloaf.

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

 Pre-heat your oven @ 350 degrees, then mix all your ingredients until evenly distributed.  I find that using ones hands is the best and only way to achieve this.

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

Now put the mixture in a greased loaf pan. If you do not have a loaf pan, shame on you you can mold the mixture into a "loaf shape" and put it on a greased cookie sheet. Cover the loaf with aluminum foil, and put it in the oven for 1 hour, then take the foil off and allow it to cook for an additional 10-15 mins. (If you do not have aluminum foil, no biggie.. you are just going to have to cook it a little longer). When it's done, I like to put a thin layer of ketchup on the top, and let it sit in the hot oven for about 5 mins (heat off). I used Annie's Organic Ketchup. Yummy.

Once your meatloaf is out of the oven, let it sit for at least 10 mins to allow the juices to absorb, otherwise you might end up with a dry loaf.

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

I served my chicken meatloaf with green beans & pasta in a light cream sauce, garlic Tuscan bread and of course a glass of red wine-- I had a Malbec to be exact. 

The only thing I might do differently next time is lightly saute the onion, garlic, red pepper and carrot in a little olive oil before mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients--That might develop the flavors a little more. I also would have used a little less salt and black pepper. 

Meatloaf has another great purpose-- Saving money! We had leftovers, I used stuff I already had around the kitchen, and even if I had to buy everything new, my guess is $15 for all the ingredients.

I'd say it was a successful first meat loaf, and it was really healthy too!

If you try it, let me know how it comes out!

enjoy, 

ryan