Recipe: Basic Meat Loaf with Barbecue Sauce Topping

Basic Meat Loaf with Barbecue Sauce Topping

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup tomato sauce, ketchup or milk
3/4 cup quick or old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1/2 cup onion or green bell pepper, chopped
1 egg
1/3 cup ketchup
1 Tbs. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tbs. prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine first 5 ingredients and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Mix well. Shape to form an 8x4 inch loaf. Bake in a large shallow baking pan about 50 minutes. Combine last 3 ingredient in a bowl and mix well. Remove loaf from oven and brush with sauce. Bake another 10 minutes.

Variations: For individual meat loaves, shape meat mixture to form 6 loaves. Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake in a large shallow baking pan 25-30 minutes, brushing with sauce during last 10 minutes of baking.

Microwave oven directions: For meat loaf or individual meat loaves, reduce liquid in meat mixture to 1/3 cup. For 8x4 inch meat loaf, place shaped loaf in an 11x7 inch baking dish and cover with wax paper. Cook in microwave oven on high about 12 minutes or until cooked throughout, rotating 1/4 turn after each 3 minutes of cooking. Brush with sauce during the last 3 minutes. For individual meat loaves, place shaped meat loaves in an 8 inch square baking dish and cover with wax paper. Cook in microwave oven on high about 10 minutes or until cooked throughout, rotating 1/4 turn after each 3 minutes of cooking. Brush with sauce during the last 3 minutes. Let either meat loaf or individual meat loaves stand 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe serves 6 people.