Meatloaf with Secret Vegetables
- Cooked vegetables to make 2/3 cup of puree (We use 1 carrot, 2 large cauliflower florets and ¼ cup frozen peas)
- ½ cup finely chopped onion (Onion makes it yummy, but you can omit if your veggie-avoiding dinner guests will get squeamish)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ½ tsp pepper
- Pinch salt
Other Supplies:
- Food processor or blender
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Loaf pan
Get Ready:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Puree the Vegetables
Cook the vegetables until they are soft. We steam the cauliflower and carrots and microwave the peas, but feel free to choose your veggies and cooking method. The goal is to get 2/3 cup of puree.
We’re using a hand blender, so we add the cooked vegetables to a large mixing bowl.
Keep blending until it’s a smooth puree. How smooth your puree actually gets will depend on how much moisture the vegetables have. For example, sweet potato and squash will create a much smoother puree than our concoction below:
Chop the Onions
Chop the onions. Chop them finely for less texture, if that’s your preference. We’ve used a food chopper below.
Measure and Add All the Other Ingredients
Now you can add the onions, ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, pepper and salt to the mixing bowl.
Use your hands to combine all the ingredients completely.
Get Ready for Baking
Now your meat is ready to start baking. If you prefer a more crispy outside, you can form a loaf shape and bake it on a baking sheet. Or you can do it the traditional way, by forming the loaf inside a loaf pan as shown below.
Bake in 350 F oven, for about 1 hour or until meat achieves an internal temperature of 160 F. Allow to set for about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with mashed potatoes, homemade fries and of course, some more vegetables!
Other Secret Vegetable Recipes:
