Classic Meatloaf

By kjs1010

Adapted from William-Sonoma's recipes. Really good!

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1 onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1 can (4 oz) mushrooms, save liquid and add water to equal 1/3 cup
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 2 # ground beef
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup ketchup

Preparation

Step 1

Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350.

In a deep sautee pan, over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the carrots, celery and onion and sautee until tender, 8-10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Let cool for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and 1/3 cup of the mushroom liquid and soak for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, using your hands, gently mix the ground beef, soaked bread crumbs, vegetable mixture, eggs, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a meatloaf pan, pressing down to flatten the top. Bake until thermometer registers 165, about 1 hour 10 minutes. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, spread the ketchup evenly over the top of the meatloaf. Let the meatloaf rest for 5 minutes before slicing.