Not Your Grandmother’s Meatloaf

I know what you’re thinking: Meatloaf? Dry, bland, boring meatloaf? Nope, not here! This meatloaf is full of veggies, moist and very tasty.

I have a one-year-old in my house, and I am forever trying to find new and creative ways to get more vegetables into him. I don’t want to hide veggies from him, he should know what he’s eating, but I’m not opposed to making them taste like, well, not veggies. This recipe has been a hit in my household, and I hope it will be in yours too!

Note: This meatloaf recipe is almost a one-to-one ratio of vegetables to meat. If you’re looking at the ingredients and thinking to yourself, “man, that’s too many veggies for me,” then cut all the vegetable ingredients in half and keep the rest of the recipe the same.

2 onions, chopped
6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
6 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped finely
3 – 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup gluten free oats
1 lb lean hamburger
1 lb ground pork
1 lb (or 1 pkg) mild Italian sausage (I like Iserno’s)
Olive oil

To cut down on the prep time for this recipe, chop the vegetables the night before.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for until they start to turn clear. Add celery, carrots and Worcestershire sauce, reduce heat, cover and steam for approximately 15 minutes, or until the carrots and celery are soft. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Place in a 9x13 inch baking pan, level with a spatula (or your hand). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with gluten free ketchup.

Be prepared to have leftovers! This is a great recipe to put in the freezer for those nights when you don’t want to cook.