I have really tried to scale back on the amount of red meat we consume at our house. Generally, I only fix it once a week, sometimes twice a week at most. And, I always buy the lean ground round. Of course, my children love hamburgers, but another dish I’ve had great success with is mini-meatloaves. I don’t know why, but if I make meatloaf in a loaf pan and slice it up, my kids hardly touch it. But, if I make little football-shaped loaves that they can dip in sauce, they love it!!! Go figure. Here’s my favorite recipe:
Mini Meatloaves
1 lb ground beef (I prefer ground round)
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup skim milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients together. Shape meat mixture into small loaves and place on pan. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes.
Super easy, huh? I have found that the best way to mix these ingredients is just to roll up your sleeves, dig in, and use your hands! A little messy, but it sure gets the job done. Lining the pan with aluminum foil makes cleanup a lot easier, too.
I almost always serve mashed potatoes when we have meatloaf. But tonight, I’m going with grits instead. Cheesy grits, to be exact!
Cheesy Grits Casserole (another wonderful recipe from Mom 
)
1 1/2 cups uncooked regular grits
1/4 cup butter
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp paprika, divided
3 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook grits according to package directions. Add butter and cheese; stir until melted. Add worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon paprika, mixing well. Add a small amount of hot grits to eggs, stirring well; then stir egg mixture into remaining grits. Pour grits into a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon paprika. Bake in oven for 1 hour.
Yield: 8 servings
I cut this recipe in half when I am making it just for our family. One great thing about this recipe is that if you want to serve it for breakfast, you can prepare it the night before and refrigerate it. Just let it sit out for 15 minutes the next morning before putting it in the oven.
If you like grits (and who doesn’t?), you will LOVE this casserole! It is flavorful, hearty, and filling!
Until next time,
Muncho Mom
I have yearned for those grits for months now! They were almost a Christmastime offering. They would be a good accompaniment for just about anything!:-)
We LOVE cheesy grits!! I sometimes take them to a church supper, and they are always a HUGE hit! My recipe uses a bit of garlic or garlic salt, which gives the casserole more of a “dinner” flavor, but I love it with or without the garlic, and I”ll bet it’s wonderful served with those little meat loaves! I’ll have to try that next time I do meat loaf. Thanks for the post!!
This looks like another relatively simple one for a grad student to try one weekend.
Speaking of which, I tried the farmhouse pizza, and it was delicious! Thank you!
You’re right about the red meat with this one, so I might try substituting with ground turkey (which is pretty much all I use) and let you know how it turns out. I’ll bet it’s better with the ground beef, though. The next recipe I try might be the peanut butter blondies as my sweet tooth is acting up, lol.
Thanks again for the recipes. I’ve really enjoyed your blog and pictures.
Thanks so much Michelle! I would love to hear how it turns out with the ground turkey…I try to use that when I can, too.