While I spent some time in the last few weeks of my pregnancy preparing freezer meals so that Dave and I could eat well without having to cook every night, I also started looking for simple recipes Dave could throw together quickly. We're fans of meatloaf, but sometimes the recipes can get pretty extensive--or at least require more work or ingredients than we want to engage in with an infant to care for. Enter this recipe with only four (4!) ingredients for a really delicious and quick meatloaf. Seriously, I could not get over how tasty this meal was and in fact we've had it twice already. So what's the secret? Stuffing mix. It's used as both your binding ingredients (breadcrumbs) and your seasoning and the result is a perfect meatloaf.
We tested this recipe one night when I called Dave and asked him to get dinner ready on a night I was going to be late getting home. I'd found the recipe at Dancing Through the Minefield where Jen shared the easiest meatloaf recipe I've ever laid eyes on. Since Dave was the first of us to make this I have to credit him with the slight improvement he made: noticing the chunkiness of the stuffing mix and surmising it wouldn't bind the meat properly, he decided to crush the mix in the food processor, turning it into the texture of fine bread crumbs. The result is a very cohesive texture that still has a wonderful flavor. Stuffing mix comes in several flavors and I think you could use whatever you like. In fact, you could use ground chicken or ground turkey and match the stuffing mix flavor for a fun twist. We really enjoyed this and even though we don't have any left in the freezer now, I know this recipe is simple enough I could even whip it up quickly while Logan naps, ensuring a delicious and hearty meal at least every once in a while, assuming he let's us eat it, even one handed.
Simple Secret Ingredient Meatloaf
Ingredients
6 ounce box stuffing mix
1 pound ground beef
1 cup water
1 egg
Place stuffing mix in the workbowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until mix becomes fine crumbs.
In a large bowl, combine beef, crushed stuffing mix, water and egg. Squish together to incorporate the ingredients to a cohesive mixture.
Press into an even layer inside a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven, slice and serve.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess
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