ABC Meat Loaf

My long-time favorite "go to" meatloaf recipe...

I also like this for my "make ahead" meals.

It was "way back when" that I first saw this recipe on a container of Quaker rolled oats-- since then, it has been my most favorite "go to" recipe. 

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

INGREDIENTS:

1 and 1/2 lb. med. lean ground beef
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 can Campbell's ABC vegetable soup (undiluted)
1 teaspoon salt (I usually skip this because of the salt that's already in the ABC soup)
1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together, pack (not too tightly) into a loaf pan*, or lightly flatten out in a 9x13" pan* for a meal in less time. If desired, spread a bit of  ketchup-based sauce on top (recipe below).  Baking time:  Bake in a loaf pan at 350-degrees for about 1 hour, or bake in a more flat pan for about 30 minutes OR until done.

* More recently, instead of putting the combined/prepared meat into a loaf pan, I just put scoops (about 2/3 cup each) of the meat mixture into each well of a larger-sized muffin tin that I've sprayed with "non-stick" oil.  Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until done.  Serve immediately.  Or, for serving later, ...

When done and  slightly cooled, I remove each "ball of goodness" from the muffin tin and put them into a "non-stick sprayed" glass baking dish; cover tightly and refrigerate until closer to serving time.  
To prepare for serving:  I first spread a little of the ketchup-based sauce on top of each "ball" of the meat mixture (see recipe below, or use whatever sauce you prefer).  Re-heat at 325-degrees for about 30-35 minutes (or until hot all the way through).  Sometimes I cover for only the first half of the re-heating time.  Do whatever works best for you.

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

MEATLOAF SAUCE:

Blend together:  1/2 cup tomato ketchup, 5 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of hot sauce (IF you like a little "heat").

Meat Loaf (I made these "individual-sized")

YESTERDAY:  Part of our two-day-early birthday 
dinner (our noon meal) for my husband...

 his birthday photo is at the bottom of this posting.

I baked these in two larger kinds of 

6-"well" muffin tins with each 

opening having a 1-cup capacity.

Ingredients** for about 4-5 servings:

1 pound ground beef
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt (I used Kosher salt, while waiting for my pinkish Himalayan salt* to arrive sometime today.)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used coarse ground)
1 cup chopped onion
2 eggs, slightly beaten
8 ounces of canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, soaked in 3 tablespoons milk
................
Topping:  1/3 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons prepared mustard.
...............
* Himalayan salt information: https://www.google.com/search?q=himalayan+salt+benefits&oq=himalayan+salt+ben&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0j5j0j69i60.7568j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

** I doubled all of the above meat loaf and topping ingredients just so I could use ALL of a 15-16 oz. can of diced tomatoes, and I ended up with about 11 generous 2/3-cup servings.

Directions:

Mix all meat loaf ingredients well.  Lightly, but thoroughly.

Baking Choices:  

• Shape mixture in a greased/sprayed baking dish or loaf pan. 
• Take 1/2-cup amounts and place into a greased/sprayed regular-size muffin tin.  OR...
• Take 2/3-cup amounts and place into the larger kind of greased/sprayed muffin tin as shown in my photos to end up with 11 servings (if doubling the above recipe).

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for about 1 hour if you bake the "original size recipe" in a loaf pan, or baking dish.     Bake for about 30 minutes if using the standard size muffin tin with 1/2-cup portions.  Bake for about 44 minutes if using the larger sized muffin tin holding 2/3-cup portions.  BUT!!!!, as always, since ovens vary, please bake according to how YOUR oven bakes, and according to how YOU like YOUR meatloaf to be!

Below:  This is how mine looked just before going into the oven.   I did not pack the mixture in!  Instead, I made a gently-handled 2/3 cup "ball", put that in, and then very slightly/lightly flattened the top of each so the topping would stay on them without running off into the muffin cups.

Below:  Here, they've just come from the 

oven...  to remove from the tins, I first went 

around edges with a small silicone spatula, 

then lifted each out with a large 

serving spoon.   DONE!!!!!

Below:  Moved to a serving plate and ready to go...

Above: These were a hit!

.............................................

This IS his cake/number, but 
he hardly looks like 74!

Above:  He LIKES fruit-- so, his "order" was for a strawberry poke cake with real whipped cream topping.  It was only fitting that the finishing decorations on top were of MORE fruit-- blueberries and six HUGE blackberries.  (Thank you, daughter P.-- ♥!)  

On the front of daughter P's birthday card to him, there are four old hens sitting on their nest, saying "HEY!  IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! ...DON'T JUST SIT THERE... (and, on the inside):  "AGE!"  

I know,...  I said, too, it seems harder to believe he is turning 74 because his hair isn't falling out, and his always NATURALLY brown hair is NOT turning gray (not very much, anyhow!).  Happy Birthday, husband,... on Tuesday! 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 I ♥m so th♥nkful for our 51 ye♥rs of m♥rri♥ge, ♥nd our gre♥t blessings of h♥ving five children, 17 gr♥ndchildren, ♥nd 10 gre♥t-gr♥ndchildren!  

Meat Loaf (100 Servings)

Here comes another recipe from a newspaper article, "Cooking for Large Crowd Need Not Be Colossal Task" which was published in our AGRI-VIEW paper, May 13, 1988.

Servings:  100

INGREDIENTS:

• 20 pounds ground beef (not the fatty kind)
• 2½ pounds bread crumbs (2½ quarts)
• 2 pounds ground pork
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 quarts milk
• 12 eggs
• 4 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix everything together well.
2. Pack into 10 greased (or sprayed) pans, OR shape into 10 loaves and place in roasting pans.
3. Bake at 325-degrees for 1½ hours.

My "Quaker Oats" Meat Loaf

I usually double the following recipe:

1 and 1/2 lb. lean ground beef

3/4 cup quick oats

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 of 10.5 oz. size vegetable (ABC) soup

1/2 cup milk

~~~~~~~~~~~~

(I usually don't add salt because it seems there is enough in the can of soup.)

Lightly, but thoroughly, mix the above ingredients together, pack lightly into a greased/sprayed loaf pan OR flatten out in a sprayed rectangular glass baking dish (double recipe needs 9x13" pan/dish).  Spreading Ketchup on top of meat is optional. 

 

I like to make a 'trench' between the edges of the meat and the dish so there's a place to collect any accumulating fat.

Bake loaf pan at 350-degrees for about 1 hour; or bake flat pan/dish for 40-45 minutes or until dark/rich brown.  Since ovens vary, check before the time is up.