After doing some research on the meatloaf, I can tell you there is not one pinpoint date or country where it might have come from. Some who say it started with the Romans, 17th century France or even the Pennsylvanian Dutch in the 18th century. There is a consensus that meatloaf became popular with Americans around The Depression. The meatloaf filled the need to stretch the family food supply while be filling and nutritious.
The ingredients in a meatloaf are just as diverse as its origins. Most articles I read all agreed that Veal was probably the first meat used since it was cheaper than beef. Other items used in meatloaf, vegetables, breadcrumbs, oatmeal, rice, wheat germ even cornflakes. My mom used to make it with oatmeal onions, carrots and two slices of bacon on top. My mother-in-law makes hers with breadcrumbs. There is one constant ingredient in every meatloaf and that is a single egg.
I make my meatloaf a bit differently from both my mom and mother-in-law. I have also tried experimenting by wrapping the entire loaf in bacon before cooking. The recipe that follows makes a nice juicy meatloaf that freezes and reheats without drying out.
Paige’s Meatloaf:
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, extra lean
1 pound ground pork
1 egg
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon, dried parsley
2 Tablespoons, minced onions
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 ounce can of tomato sauce
Bacon grease
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven 400°F
Combine with hands first eight ingredients until fully blended.
Thickly grease 11” X 7” Pyrex glass baking pan with bacon grease
Form meat mixture into a loaf and place into prepared pan
If you have extra bacon grease, gently rub to outside of meatloaf then season with salt and pepper.
Pour tomato sauce over top of meatloaf, covering the entire top and sides.
Bake in oven until internal temperature is 160°F
