Meatloaf

My husband has been gone during the week, so when he came home last weekend, I wanted to make him something hearty and comforting.  He loves meatloaf, which I've never made before, so I combined a few recipes I had and came up with this.  I served it with mashed potatoes (made so easy by the frozen Ore Ida Steam 'n Mash), roasted asparagus, and these caramel rolls.  Oh, and my husband liked it so much he had leftover meatloaf sandwiches 2 days in a row!

1 1/2 lbs. extra lean ground beef (I use either 93/7 or 96/4)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Stove Top Stuffing (dry)
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix (optional)
1 cup ketchup, divided
1/2 cup diced onions
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced green pepper
2 Tbs. shredded or grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper


In a nonstick skillet, saute onions, celery, garlic, and peppers in about 1 tsp. olive oil until softened and barely browned.  Scoop into a large mixing bowl and let cool.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375.  Mix together cooled veggies, soup mix (if using, or just add salt, pepper, and dried onion), dry stuffing mix, beaten eggs, 1/2 cup ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.  Then mix with beef, being careful to distribute seasonings evenly without over mixing.  Shape into a loaf on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper.*  Brush remaining 1/2 cup ketchup over the top.  Bake for 35-45 minutes until browned and cooked through (I did mine for 45 minutes and it was perfect).  Let rest covered with tinfoil for an additional 10 minutes.

*You can also use a loaf pan, but from what I've read, loaf pans steam the meatloaf instead of getting the outside crisp.  Plus then you have to wash the pan.