Recipe: Mini Meat Loaf (serves 2)

MINI MEAT LOAF

1 strip bacon or slice of pancetta (Italian smoked bacon), cut into small squares
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup finely chopped red or green pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (if needed)
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1/2 pound ground beef (chuck or sirloin)
1/2 pound ground veal
1/3 cup tomato-based pasta sauce
1 egg
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh, chopped sage (or 1/8 teaspoon dried sage)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook bacon or pancetta, onion, and pepper in a small skillet over medium heat until vegetables are tender and bacon is lightly browned but not crisp; add vegetable oil only if needed to keep ingredients from burning. Stir in garlic and cook another minute. Allow mixture to cool.

Combine ground beef, veal, pasta sauce, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and sage in a bowl. Add bacon-onion mixture and thoroughly mix ingredients with your hands.

Form mixture into loaf shape and place it on a small, foil-lined baking sheet with edges high enough to catch fat given off by meat loaf as it cooks.

Bake about 30 minutes, until outside is browned and interior is cooked through (160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer).

Serves 1 or 2, with extra for sandwiches
Source: Serves One by Toni Lydecker