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Writer's pictureEliana

Stuffed Meatloaf | A Little Cushion

Meatloaf: the epitome of American comfort food. My mom used to make this meatloaf recipe a whole lot. Maybe because it was pretty easy to assemble or maybe because it was one of Garrett's (my brother) favorite dishes. I didn't complain, I loved it all the same.

This meatloaf recipe is taken up a notch and given a little cushion by stuffing it with hard boiled eggs. You can make it with or without the eggs, but who doesn't like a little cushion to get you by. As a little kid, we hold on to our parents hand tightly as we are dropped off at school for the first time- that's a cushion. As teenagers, we stick close to our friends as we roam around the halls of middle school- yup a cushion. In post-college life, we make Kraft mac n cheese to remind us of home-again a cushion. And when I say a cushion, I mean a little extra support. These eggs just give the meatloaf exactly that, a little cushion, so it to can go through the cooking process with a little extra ease and comfort.

Baked in a tomato sauce, this isn't your average meatloaf recipe. Then again I'm not your average chef and this isn't your average cooking website. So I dare you to try this meatloaf stuffed with egg and add a little more cushion into your life, and no I don't mean on your belly.

The ingredients sitting all pretty.

Preheat your oven to 375'F.

Make sure to toast your slices of bread to add a nice toasted crunchy feel to the meatloaf. I use potato bread because I prefer it to white bread, but you could also use whole wheat bread too if you'd like. After I toast the bread, I pull out my 4-cup food processor (I highly recommend you by one-- they are extremely useful and easier to clean up than a 12 or 14-cup one) and grind the bread into breadcrumbs. Once they reach that breadcrumb stage, I add it to a large bowl. I then take my round buttery crackers ( I like Ritz crackers), put them in a ziplock bag and crush them up. Both the breadcrumbs and cracker crumbs will act as the perfect binder for keeping the meatloaf together.

Before you start working on the meatloaf, get those eggs working. In a small pot, add the eggs and cover with cold water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover, and remove from heat. Set the covered pot aside for 10 to 12 minutes. Then drain, cool in cold water and carefully peel. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside and allow to cool.

In the large bowl, add the beef, breadcrumbs, buttery crackers, egg, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce. Once cooled, add the cooked onions and garlic. Add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time and mix all the ingredients together, be careful not to overwork the meat. Continue adding 1 teaspoon of milk, until the meatloaf holds together (you don't want it to be too soggy).

In a bowl, mix the can of tomato sauce and ketchup. I use plain tomato sauce, noting fancy no marinara or pomodoro, just regular tomato sauce- I used Hunt's brand.

In a 9” x 5” baking loaf pan, add ¼ cup of tomato sauce mixture on the bottom.

In the pan, using your hands, form half of the meatloaf mixture into a 9” by 5” loaf filling the bottom of the pan. Arrange the hard–boiled eggs in a strip down the middle of the meat.

Using your hands, shape the remaining meatloaf mixture into another 9” x 5” rectangle and lay it over the hard-boiled eggs. Pinch top half of meat together with bottom half, smoothing out the seams, forming a uniform loaf.

Pour the remaining tomato sauce mixture over the meatloaf.

Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour and 5 minutes at 375’F or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160’F. Allow meatloaf to cool for 5 minutes in pan.

Carefully slice the meatloaf using a sharp knife into 1- inch pieces. If you have a serrated knife that works well too. Serve hot!

Stuffed Meatloaf with Egg in a Tomato Sauce

Prep time: 10 minutes

Active Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 eggs, hard-boiled

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup yellow onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1- 1 1/2 lbs extra-lean ground beef

2 slices bread, toasted and crumbled

10 buttery round crackers, crushed (I use Ritz crackers)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup milk, as needed

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 (15-ounce) can plain tomato sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF degrees.

In a small pot, add the eggs and cover with cold water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover, and remove from heat. Set aside for 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, cool in cold water and peel. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside and allow to cool.

In the large bowl, add the beef, breadcrumbs, buttery crackers, egg, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce. Once cooled, add the cooked onions and garlic. Add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time and mix all the ingredients together- be careful not to overwork the meat. Continue adding 1 teaspoon of milk, until the meatloaf holds together (you don't want it to turn too soggy).

In a bowl, mix the can of tomato sauce and ketchup.

In a 9” x 5” baking loaf pan, add ¼ cup of tomato sauce mixture on the bottom. In the pan, using your hands, form half of the meatloaf mixture into a 9” by 5” rectangle filling the bottom of the pan. Arrange the hard–boiled eggs in a strip down the middle of the meat. Using your hands, shape the remaining meatloaf mixture into another 9” x 5” rectangle and lay it over the hard-boiled eggs. Pinch top half of meat together with bottom half, smoothing out the seams, forming a uniform loaf. Pour the remaining tomato sauce mixture over the meatloaf.

Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour and 5 minutes at 375’F or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160’F. Allow meatloaf to cool for 5 minutes in pan. Carefully slice the meatloaf into 1-inch slices and serve hot!

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