Italian Meatloaf

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 24 saltine crackers
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can vegetable beef soup, in beef broth
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons dried italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 400°f.
• 2 crush the crackers. i use the food processor to get finer crumbs.
• 3 mix the meat, soup, and egg together with the seasonings.
• 4 add cracker crumbs until the texture is firm but not dry.
• 5 press the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan.
• 6 bake until almost done.
• 7 top with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
• 8 continue baking until sauce is heated, cheese is melted and meatloaf is done (160°f on the meat thermometer).
• 9 muffin variation: divide meatloaf mixture into 6 even portions.
• 10 press into large size muffin tin that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• 11 if adding a sauce, form a well in the top of each muffin.
• 12 check baking time carefully, as the smaller size allows the dish to bake more quickly. i have found that baking time is reduced to about 35 minutes in this form.