Family Spice Recipe for Meat Loaf With Tomato Relish

Meat Loaf With Tomato Relish

This easy meat loaf isn't the dry brick you might have had growing up.

 

adapted from Tyler Florence

 

 

 

TOMATO RELISH INGREDIENTS:

  • Tomato Relish:
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
  • 2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
  • 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and black pepper

     

    • MEAT LOAF INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 slices bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 2 eggs
  • Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 to 4 bacon slices (optional)

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add:
    • 2 TBS olive oil
    • 1 onion, finely diced
    • 2 bay leaves
  3. Sauté the onions for 2 minutes, then add:
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
  4. Continue cooking vegetables for 2 more minutes then add:
    • 2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
  5. Stir in:
    • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    • 1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
    • 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
  6. Season with:
    • salt and black pepper
  7. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat and reserve. You should have about 4 cups of relish.
  8. Place in a small bowl, mix and set aside:
    • 3 slices bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
    • 1/4 cup whole milk
  9. In a large mixing bowl, mix by hand:
    • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
    • 1 lb ground pork
    • 2 eggs
    • Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 1/2 cups of tomato relish
  10. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture.
  11. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.
  12. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide.
  13. Coat the top of the meat loaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish.
  14. Lay across the top of the meat loaf lengthwise:
    • 3 to 4 bacon slices (optional)
  15. Bake the meat loaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm.
  16. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every 20 minutes to insure that the bacon browns evenly.
  17. Remove the meat loaf from the oven and let it cool a few minutes before slicing.
  18. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.

 

Family Spice Recipe for Meat Loaf With Tomato Relish

 

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 min

Difficulty: Easy-Intermediate

Servings: 6-8

Serving Size: 2 slices of meatloaf

Serving Suggestions: Above meatloaf pictured without bacon. Also try our Individual Meat Loaf and Meat Loaf with Chorizo. Read about this recipe in the Family Spice Blog!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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