At long last...meatloaf

Cravings can be a horrible thing. They badger and wheedle and whine at you until you give in...or figure out how to give in.

The family meatloaf recipe uses oatmeal. Oatmeal. Well, hell. I haven't gotten to the point yet where I am willing to spend big dough on GF oatmeal, especially since I used it so rarely in my gluten days. So, do I use bread crumbs to replace the oatmeal? Rice crackers? Oh, the dilemma.

Mom and Dad put ketchup on the top of their meatloaf. The Man and I prefer cream of mushroom soup, but the GF kind I appear to have bought stock in (I have 2 cases in the basement, people) is looser than the old Campbell's kind. So, did I want to use that? Hm.

Here is what I ended up with. This is the family recipe with my original tweaks, along with the switch-out. Feel free to actually use GF oatmeal if you have any.

I used the cream of mushroom soup. Served tonight with smashed baby red potatoes with sour cream and chives and scalloped corn.



Sheri's GF Meatloaf

1 pound ground meat (I used ground sirloin, but you can also use ground chuck, turkey, chicken...)
3/4 cup cooked white rice (or oatmeal)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup tomato juice**
1 beaten egg
Your preferred topping (ketchup, cream of mushroom soup, whatever)0

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients gently as to not overwork the meat (it will become tough); I use my hands. Push the mix into a ball and remove from the bowl, placing it on a jelly roll pan or other baking dish with sides. Shape into a loaf and then place into the oven.

The meatloaf needs to bake for an hour and fifteen minutes for beef (internal temp of 160 degrees). Thirty minutes into baking, pour your topping on and return to the oven.

When done, remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.