By PK, We Live Concepts

Meatloaf – an American classic comfort food, is among the most versatile foods one can easily make. On top of the basic structural ingredients, which include the meat, binder, and seasoning, you can incorporate almost any array of ingredients. Every family has a version of the meatloaf, but this dish begs for a personal touch. Some people suggest adding shredded carrots or zucchini so as to add some vegetable. To add fiber to my meatloaf, I prefer adding oatmeal. It may sound new to you, but it is actually an older way of making meatloaf even before breadcrumbs or crackers became popular. However, with this recipe, I take a bold Kung Pao turn. I use Kung Pao stir fry sauce as a glaze instead of the traditional ketchup and honey so as to add a bit of zing to this dish. The intent is to combine the traditional with the experimental. Let’s get cooking.

Group 1

• 1 onion, just roughly cut
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, leaves only
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, needles only
• 1 cup oatmeal, quick, instant of old fashion
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 2 lb lean ground beef
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

Group 2

• 1 cup Kung Pao stir-fry sauce, check out the Asian section of your grocery store.
• Sesame seeds

As a busy guy, I designed this dish such that all of the mixing is done in the food processor – sweet eh?  Let’s begin. Preheat the oven to 350F. Into the food processor, add onion, garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary. Pulsate the content to lightly chop the onion and herbs in order to release the aroma. Then add oatmeal, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce. Continue to pulsate until the wet ingredients incorporate with the herbs. Next add the beef. At this point, I like to spin the processor to vigorously mix the meat and seasoning for about 15 seconds. Stop a few times to stir the contents for better mixing. Then add the eggs and pulsate again to mix.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On the center of the pan, set the seasoned beef, and hand-shape it into the shape of a loaf. Place a meat thermometer toward  the center of the loaf and bake the meat for 45 minutes. For food safety, make sure the internal temperature reaches 155F.

Begin glazing the meat loaf with Kung Pao sauce after the meat has been in the oven for about 10 minutes. I also prefer to re-glaze with additional Kung Pao sauce just about 5 minute before done.

When the baking is finished, rest the meat for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Towards the end, I sprinkled some sesame seeds to give it an Asian effects. The Kung Pao sauce will make the meat spicy and the oatmeal tends to make the meatloaf moist and tender.

I love making meatloaf as food reserved for packed lunch. It refrigerates and travels really well. You can have it as it, with green beans, or turn it into sandwiches. Pair it up with some salad, and you will have a piece of comfort from home in the middle of the chaotic workday.

~Eat on

Highlights for my readers with health concerns:

I understand some of my readers have special dietary concerns. For those who wish to reduce fat and cholesterol, try using lean meat, increase the amount of oatmeal and add extra vegetables to reduce the amount of meat. Then use egg white or cholesterol-free egg products. Check out these other resources for alternative meatloaf recipes with health concerns in mind.

• Just plain Meatloaf by Diabetic Gourmet
• Diabetic Meatloaf by Diets in Review
• Healthy Make-over Meatloaf by Delish

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