Meatloaf is an American staple. Add a little twist to the menu with Pork Meatloaf with Vegetables; it's an easy way to sneak veggies in on a picky eater and the veggie choices can be changed to use whatever you have on hand in the pantry.
This loaf is good on it's own but adding gravy or cheese sauce as a topping is a simple way to make it into a different dish, especially if it is used for leftovers.
Pork Meatloaf with Vegetables :
Ingredients :
- 1 # ground pork or loose ground sausage meat (not in a chub or casing)
- 1 can yellow corn
- 1 can pigeon peas (these are a Caribbean specialty and can sometimes be found with imported South American foods)
- 1 can sliced potatoes
- 1/2 cup diced red or green bell peppers
- 1 4oz can tomato paste
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp rubbed sage (omit if using sausage)
- 1/2 cup shredded velveta
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 5 slices of cheese
Method :
- Pre-heat oven to 375
- Drain all of the canned vegetables well
- Stir together drained corn, pigeon peas and potatoes in a large mixing bowl
- Add in tomato paste and diced bell peppers and stir well
- Beat eggs in a small bowl
- Stir eggs into vegetable mix
- Add in ground meat and stir to incorporate
- Mix in garlic powder, black pepper and sage; stir well
- Stir in bread crumbs and shredded cheese
- Pour mixture into loaf pan
- Place in pre-heated oven and cook for 30 min
- Carefully remove hot pan from oven and top with slices of cheese
- Put loaf back in oven and continue to bake an additional 10 min
- Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving
Cream Gravy :
Ingredients :
- 2 cups milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste (fresh cracked black pepper is best)
- Optional - 1 tsp mushroom base (Better Than Bouillon makes a very good base)
Method:
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over med-low heat
- Stir in flour, salt and pepper
- Mix with whisk to make a smooth paste and add bouillon if desired
- Pour milk in and whisk to dissolve flour paste
- Increase heat to med and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly (about 5 min)
- Remove from heat immediately
Pork loaf can be served alone, with cream gravy, sausage gravy, mushroom gravy or cheese sauce.
Suggested substitutions for vegetables are carrots, green peas, broccoli, lima beans.
Instead of the addition of potatoes to the loaf, a layer of mashed potatoes can be put on top of the loaf at the time the top layer of cheese is added. Bake the additional 10 min as directed.
Jackie Milligan - My name is Jackie and I am a foodie. As a small child, my mother inspired me with the love of good fresh food made from scratch. I ...
