Grandma's Meatloaf

What is more comforting on a cool winter night than roasted fingerling potatoes and rosemary with a nice big slice of meatloaf? Not much.

This easy and utterly delicious recipe is inspired by a recipe of my grandmother's. While she grates her onions, so you can't detect the texture, I instead opted to sauté a finely diced onion and then combine it with fresh herbs for a new twist. You could cheat and top the meatloaf with ketchup, like many "easy" meatloaf recipes suggest, but the cloyingly sweet topping is nowhere near as delicious as a homemade topping.

Serve with those crisp-roasted potatoes and some roasted broccoli. Comfort food at its finest!

Easy Meatloaf

1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
One 8-ounce can pureed tomatoes
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the same sauté pan, combine the tomatoes, vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Combine the ground beef and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Sauté until translucent over high heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add to beef. Season with salt and parsley. Mix well.

Press meat mixture into a loaf pan. Top with ½ cup sauce. Place in oven and bake 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, baste with the juices and add ½ cup more sauce. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes and baste again. Cook for about 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve with an additional spoonful of sauce.

Servings: 6
Makes: 1 loaf
Total time: 45 minutes

Super Easy Week's End Lasagna

It’s been an odd week. First, last weekend’s beautifully sunny, nearly 70 degree weather. Then, Monday’s thunderstorms. And, Friday’s 32 degree temps. Ice on puddles? You bet.

So, it’s no wonder that the weather has my body and appetite utterly confused. Last week, it wanted filling braised lamb shanks, pappardelle with hearty mushroom ragu, and tomato soup. More recently, it’s craving lighter foods, like spring greens, cold chicken salads, and vegetable-based dishes.

But Friday, wires got crossed. I was craving something warm and cheesy, yet something fresh, flavorful, and wouldn’t weigh me down. Some comfort at the end of a long week, and to celebrate the week's end. I was reading my Easter issue of Martha Stewart Living, and was excited to see my wishes were answered: “Zucchini-Ribbon Lasagna.”

I found the inspiring recipe in their “Fit to Eat” article on gluten-free recipes. Though I do not follow a strict gluten-free diet, I try to stay away from corn and refined carbohydrates, like some pastas, in favor of heartier, whole-grain alternatives. This recipe suggests zucchini ribbons as a tasty alternative! 

As I’m in a “temporary” home, as I am moving between houses and apartments, where the pot and pan selection doesn’t quite meet my (high?!) standards, I am taking all kinds of shortcuts in cooking meals, if I cook a meal at all. The pots are not in the sizes I am used to (I need a sautepan!), and I had to get creative in slicing vegetables without a mandoline. Thus, I took this recipe as a launching point, slightly altering it for my (and my dinner guest’s) tastes. The outcome? Utterly amazing. Complete with the drink of your choice, and a hearty loaf of a whole-grain bread (I wish I knew where the one we had came from – SO good!), we were happily satiated, and no food coma.

My Garden-Fresh Vegetable “Lasagna”

3 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

salt to taste

1 jar tomato basil sauce, preferably made with San Marzano tomatoes (flavorful!)

12 oz ground lamb

3 small zucchini, thinly sliced (I used a cheese hand grater)

bunch of basil, rough chiffonade

1 small container whole or part-skim ricotta

1 bag part-skim grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 (you can use convection for the first 23 minutes, if you’d like). In a small saucepan, heat 1.5 tbsp oil. Add onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent. Add tomato sauce and 1/2 of the basil. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a mere simmer to infuse flavor. Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a sautepan. When hot, crumble the ground lamb in the pan and season it with salt. Cook til nicely browned. Set aside. Using a hand grater (or a mandoline if you’re lucky!), thinly and carefully slice zucchini into 1/8” thick ribbons.

Place 7-8 slices of zucchini, overlapping the sides, along the bottom of a 9” square baking pan. Top with a cup of sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 of the ground lamb on top, and dot with 5 tbsp ricotta. Repeat again with zucchini, but this time alternating the direction, sauce, lamb, and this time add a good layer of mozzarella. Repeat once more, with zucchini, sauce. Spread a thin layer of ricotta on top and add a solid topping again with mozzarella.

Place the lasagna on a cookie sheet (to catch drips) and bake, covered with foil (careful – the foil might stick to the cheese – I didn’t grease the foil top, maybe that would have helped?) for 23 minutes, or until the lasagna begins to bubble. Remove the foil lid and bake for about another 23 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbly and top nicely golden. Let side for 10 minutes, and serve warm with crusty bread.