This is one of our favorite Sunday dinners and defiantly a kid pleaser! I make our own tomato-basil pasta sauce using fresh basil and garlic which cuts down on the sodium and fat content typically found in pre-made pasta sauce. I serve this with a fresh green salad topped with warm balsamic vinaigrette and twiced-baked red potatoes.
Kid-tastic idea: Instead of making the meatloaf in a loaf pan, get creative! Place the meatloaf on a greased cooking sheet and shape into a mummy topped with slices of mozzerella cheese for Halloween, or, make mini individual hearts for Valentine's Day!
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 slices)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds 92% lean ground beef
- 1 cup fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce, divided
- 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large egg whites
- Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.Combine beef, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl. Shape beef mixture into an 8 x 4-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush remaining 1/2 cup pasta sauce over top of meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut loaf into 12 slices.
Wine Note: Anything Italian-style seems like a candidate for Chianti, but with a humble meat loaf like this, I like something more full-bodied. A California syrah has enough concentration to mirror the density of the ground beef, and it makes the meat loaf seem just a bit grander. Try Arrowood's Grand Archer 2001 Syrah from Sonoma County, California (about $20). -Karen MacNeil
Nutritional Information
- Calories:
- 263 (42% from fat)
- Fat:
- 12.1g (sat 5.7g,mono 4.7g,poly 0.6g)
- Protein:
- 27.8g
- Carbohydrate:
- 11.9g
- Fiber:
- 1.4g
- Cholesterol:
- 67mg
- Iron:
- 3.3mg
- Sodium:
- 859mg
- Calcium:
- 175mg
Courtesy of: David Bonom, Cooking Light, MARCH 2006
