I had a meatloaf recipe that said “American” (cheddar cheese, ketchup, and blackstrap molasses are among the ingredients). I had some leftover homemade Italian pork sausage too. Meatloaf works best with a mix of meats but I didn’t have any plain ground pork. So I combined my ground beef with the Italian sausage, fixed up the recipe a little to my liking, and hoped for the best.
I was too impatient to wait for the verdict though. I remembered a technique I saw on Sara Moulton’s old Food Network show where she cooked a little bit of meatball mix before finishing the dish to check the seasoning. When I saw it, I thought, “who would do that?” But I couldn’t wait until dinner to see if my meatloaf tasted good so I fried up a little patty of it and it was yummy. The bit of fennel from the sausage contrasted nicely with the sweet from the ketchup. I have high hopes for the finished product.
American Mini-Meatloaves Italiano
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. sweet or hot Italian pork sausage (or turkey, if you like, but pork fat may help you sleep better)
- 1/3 cup low-carb ketchup
- 4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 eggs
- 1 T worcestershire sauce
- 1 T chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Topping
- 1/4 cup low-carb ketchup
- 1 tsp blackstrap molasses
- More shredded cheese if you want
Line bottom part of broiler pan with foil and replace top. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except those for topping in a large bowl. I use my hands so it gets mixed up really thoroughly. Form into small meatloaves using 2/3 cup of mixture for each. Spread topping onto each one. My meatloaves look more like meatballs because I formed them using a roundish measuring cup. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until internal temperature reads 150 degrees F.
Yield: 8 mini-meatloaves.
