Zesty Catalina Meatloaf
This is a little different and I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out good.
This is a little different and I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out good.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- topping
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 pounds lean ground meat
- 1 1/2 cup wheaties cereal put in baggie to crush
- 1 cup zesty catalina salad dressing
- 1/2 large green bell pepper chopped
- 1 teaspoon lawry's season salt
- 1 cup ketchup or chili sauce
- 8 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
- Carbohydrate 22.7574104166667 g
- Cholesterol 51.4068666666667 mg
- Fat 19.9944416666667 g
- Fiber 0.880754175623258 g
- Protein 14.9057893333333 g
- Saturated Fat 5.53670331666667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (165g)
- Sodium 466.413275 mg
- Sugar 21.8766562410434 g
- Trans Fat 3.49029346666667 g
- Calories 330 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray two loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
- Put the Wheaties in a baggie and crush slightly. You don't want it too fine.
- Place the first 10 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well with your hands.
- Divide the mixture in half and place half in each loaf pan.
- Pat the meat down gently and set aside while you make the sauce for the topping.
- Add the four topping ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar disolves.
- Pour half of the sauce over each meatloaf and smooth out with a spoon.
- Bake in the oven for at least one hour. I sometimes let it bake a little longer so it gets a little browned on top.
Overworking the meat mixture until it becomes dense and compact remains the single most common error in meatloaf preparation. Developing a tender texture requires handling the ground beef and seasonings lightly just until combined before dividing the batch into two separate pans.
- Crush the cereal inside a sealed plastic bag using a heavy skillet if a rolling pin is unavailable, stopping while coarse flakes remain to preserve structural pockets inside the loaf.
- Distribute the topping evenly over the surface only after patting the mixture firmly into the greased 350-degree pans to prevent premature burning of the sugars.
- Bake the loaves for a minimum of 60 minutes, extending the time slightly until the internal temperature registers safely and the glaze darkens at the edges.
Dividing the recipe across two pans instead of one standard vessel significantly reduces the overall baking time while yielding double the surface area for the tangy glaze. Managing oven space efficiently ensures the glaze caramelizes properly without requiring specialized cookware.
