Love it. Or hate it.

There’s usually no in-between feelings on meatloaf. I personally, am a lover. It’s one of the few foods I love to mix with other foods. You cannot eat meatloaf without mixing it with creamy mashed potatoes under any circumstance. Low carb diet? Um. No. Not for meatloaf. It’s married to the potatoes. They’re like the Bonnie and Clyde of the food world. Like Peas and Carrots. What has been joined together by nature let no man put asunder. Hey, not my words. Not my rules. It is what it is. Who are we to judge?

That said, what exactly ARE the rules for meatloaf? In the south, there are a few that must be followed to properly consume a meatloaf at its peak. I know my Front Porcher’s are law abiding food lovers, so I thought I’d share the top five rules, just in case you didn’t know. I’d hate for you to go Foodie Jail. Only store bought bread and tap water there. Talk about hell. Not to mention orange jumpsuits are not currently in fashion.

Meatloaf 101

Rule 1: As we discussed earlier, you must consume meatloaf with mashed or whipped potatoes. EAT. YOUR. CARBS.

Rule 2: A meatloaf is NOT a giant hamburger. You  don’t eat mashed potatoes on your hamburgers do you? Then show your loaf some respect. Make sure to add egg, a pile of veggies and seasonings for flavor, breadcrumbs and grated carrots to keep it moist. Yes, that is their purpose in a meatloaf as they retain moisture. Think about how long this thing cooks y’all. If you don’t add the carrots can you say boot leather?

Rule 3: Although it is not a hamburger, you MUST use the leftovers for sandwiches. You may put mashed potatoes on these. It is allowed.

Rule 4: Treat your meatloaf as you would a juicy steak. Give it a break before you take the knife to it. It’s worked long and hard in that crockpot and needs to rest.

Rule 5: There are NO RULES in the makeup of a meatloaf! Vary your cheese, veggies, bread crumbs, and experiment with the seasonings to find your perfect meatloaf. The best meatloaf is always the next meatloaf!

A HUGE thank you to our friend Loriann at casa de la Cargill for this super easy, no fuss way to make an awesome meatloaf. That great photo up top is Loriann’s loaf, as Mr. Hass devoured ours entirely before it had its scheduled photo shoot. What else can you do with a hungry boy but feed him…the whole meatloaf.

Cheese Stuffed Crockpot Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 medium sized carrot, grated
• 1 rib celery, finely diced
• ½ green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. red pepper flake
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
• Tomato sauce or ketchup for topping

         

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper and set aside. Line a large crockpot with aluminum foil leaving about 2 inches hanging over the edge.

2. In a large bowl mix together (by hand) all the ingredients except the cheese. Don’t overwork the mixture; just mush it enough to blend everything together.

3. Dump the meat mixture onto the lined baking sheet and gently flattened it out. Spread the cheese in the center of the meat leaving about a 2 inch border.

4. Grasp the parchment paper with one hand on one of the shorter sides of the pan and start to gently pull upwards. Use your other hand to tuck the end of the meat in on itself creating a roll. Continue to carefully roll the meat mixture in on itself while pulling the parchment paper upwards and away.

5. Gently press the seam and sides to seal the roll, shaping it into a loaf.

6. Place the meatloaf seam side down in the crockpot and top with tomato sauce/ketchup.

7. Cook until the internal temperature is 165° approximately 6-8 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.

8. To remove the meatloaf grasp the aluminum foil and carefully lift it out of the crockpot. Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before cutting to allow juices to redistribute.

Don’t miss this meatloaf and so many other super awesome recipes from casa de la Cargill, like her Smoked Sausage Blistered Tomato & Spinach Fettuccine! Trust me, don’t miss that one!

Life is too short to eat ugly food y’all!

* Top photo copyright casa de la Cargill 2014