I think of meatloaf as a way to take a pound of ground beef and stretch it out into a yummy meal, that will also yield a good lunch or two. This recipe goes together quickly, and makes a nice savory meatloaf.
1 lb ground beef
3 slices of bacon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Ground pepper
2-3 stalks celery
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 Orange or red bell pepper
Mushrooms
Handful of oats
2 toasted pieces of bread, cut into little cubes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp tomato paste
a few shakes of Worcester Sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Slice the bacon into thin strips and render in a frying pan until the fat is released and the bacon is cooked but not crisp. Remove from pan and set aside, leaving fat. Add onions and bell pepper, cook until soft. Add celery, cook for a few more minutes. Remove from pan and add to the bacon. Add mushrooms to the pan and saute in butter until browned.
Combine all ingredients, place into a buttered or oiled loaf pan, and cook at 350 for an hour. After the first 30 minutes, cover the top of the meatloaf with ketchup, and place back in the oven. You can make a more complicated glaze by mixing ketchup with brown sugar, and various spices, but ketchup alone is already quite a loaded sauce and does just fine.
Let the meatloaf rest 10 minutes before serving.