Mushroom Meat Loaf

I admit, I was a bit afraid to chose something to cook from the A Man, A Can, A Plan cookbook. So being that I'm not "A Man" I gave the book to Mr. L and had him choose which recipe to make. He chose the Mushroom Meat Loaf. Which was found under the "veggies" section. Which called for canned mushrooms.

Now, except for my moms, I've never been a huge fan of meatloaf. Which is strange, because I think, now that my tastes have "grown up" so to speak, I'd quite enjoy many versions of the dish. But a version asking for canned mushrooms? Canned mushrooms? Slimy sickly canned mushrooms? Would I actually eat the stuff?

This was not the best version of meatloaf I've ever tasted. It also wasn't the worst. A bit dry (probably because of the extra lean ground beef) it lacked any real flavor. The Sloppy Joe sauce added more spice than just plain tomato sauce but I think the addition of some hotter spice, be it Tabasco, some red pepper mixed in or even some green chilies would have kicked the flavor up a bit. As for those canned mushrooms? Quite frankly, I didn't even notice them (and as an aside, I found it really hard to find canned mushrooms. My gourmet grocery didn't carry them :) And before someone else says it, yes, bacon would have enhanced the taste of this meatloaf considerably!

This was served with some sour cream, cream cheese, garlic mashed potatoes. Taking a bite of them together, really helped the meatloaf.

MUSHROOM MEAT LOAF

6-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained and chopped
15-ounce can original sloppy joe sauce
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
1 cup quick oats
1 egg
1 tsp sodium-free Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dump 1/2 can of the sloppy joe sauce and all the other ingredients into a bowl and mix gently. Squish into a football shape on the foil-lined pan from your toaster oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Pour the remaining 1/2 can of sauce over the loaf. Bake for 30 minutes more, until the meat is no longer pink. (The secret to moist, juicy meatloaf is to handle the meat very gently).

Makes 6 servings. 281 calories per serving

Note: I used regular Italian Seasoning, not low sodium

Note:

Again, this wasn't horrible. And I've had some really horrible meatloaf. Just not something I'd make again. This dish did make me want to not only make some regular meatloaf (like my moms) but I now have a craving for some Sloppy Joes!

 

 

Comments

[MOM]

Remember how we used to make sloppy joes with taco (in a package) seasoning with flour tortillas and shredded lettuce, diced tomato and shredded cheese? You need to make your hubby my meat loaf if he likes meat loaf. I have not had it in a long time. Don't know where my instructions are. If you find it you aught to make it.

[Chris]

You were brave to try it...I guess it beats stir fry spaghettiO's:)