March is the month where there are still days when you just need hearty comfort food. I have always been a fan of simpler meatloaf, until now. My son has a bacon-wrapped recipe that is one of his most requested meals when having friends over for dinner. I decided I would finally give it a try and I’m glad I did. This is moist and has great flavor. I prepped it in the morning so all I needed to do was bake it when I came home at the end of the day. Dinner was ready within an hour, including baking potatoes along with the meatloaf and steaming green beans. If you’re not up to making the meatloaf, a friend of mine is going to be using the sauce on a frozen meatloaf she has in order to dress it up.
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves OR 2 teaspoons dried, crushed thyme
- 2 ½ pounds ground beef
- 3 eggs, beaten
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 pound uncooked bacon slices
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and drizzle in the olive oil. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened. Stir in the ketchup and the thyme and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove from the heat; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, eggs, panko, salt, and pepper. Add half of the ketchup mixture and mix well.
Lightly coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with the bacon, allowing the ends hang over the edge of the pan. Shape the beef mixture into a loaf and place in the pan. Pull the bacon ends over the top to cover the beef. Place the loaf pan on a sheet pan to catch any spills.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the oven, remove the foil, and carefully drain of any fat. Place the pan back in the oven , uncovered, and broil for 10-15 minutes to crisp the bacon. Invert meatloaf onto the baking sheet and place under the broiler for 5-7 minutes to crisp the bacon on the bottom of the meatloaf.
Let sit for 5 minutes. Warm the ketchup mixture. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the remaining ketchup mixture before serving.