Cranberry Meatloaf

 

This started out to use a jar of cranberry ketchup, but once I googled recipes, I found a lot of great ideas.  The ketchup got moved into the "optional basting" category instead of barbecue sauce, and here we are.

To be fair, I also have a couple of jars of cranberry sauce to use, and two 12 oz bags of berries in the freezer.  I should make more things with them.

I don't make meatloaf often, though it is super easy to do.  You can even prep it in the morning and put it in the oven after work.  I'm using ground beef today.  This recipe is minimally seasoned and would work well with any ground meat.  You could add sage for poultry, thyme for pork, or rosemary for lamb.  I considered adding dried parsley, then decided I was tired and just mixed it as is.

*1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 C diced onion
3/4 C panko breadcrumbs (or 1 slice stale, dried bread through the food processor)
*1/2 C cranberry sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg
*2 Tb cranberry ketchup, tomato ketchup, or barbecue sauce, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Combine all ingredients down to the egg until evenly distributed and spread in a standard loaf pan.

2.  Bake to 155º, about 35 minutes, then pour off the rendered fat.  Yes, it is going to look smaller.  Baste top with cranberry ketchup, if using, and continue to bake to 165º, another 10-15 minutes.  

3.  Allow to rest in the pan about 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve with more sauce or some gravy on the side, if desired.

Difficulty rating  π