Love the Meatloaf

The Mr.'s grandmother gave us a crop of zucchini from her garden (before you suggest it, she also gave us three loaves of zucchini bread). Along with the zucchini, we also received some raspberries, tomatoes, and three big bags of her famous spaetzle. Because I hate to see things go to waste, I'm on a quest to use it all.

So, introducing dinner...
meatloaf, breaded parmesan zucchini, and spaetzle


Breaded Parmesan Zucchini

Serves 2

One smaller-sized zucchini, cut into slices
1 T. olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Bread crumbs
Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in a skillet (oven safe, ideally) over medium-high heat. Add zucchini slices and season with salt and pepper. Stirring and flipping occasionally, cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Place in oven to melt cheese and warm through.

Meatloaf

Makes 4 mini meatloaves

I don't know what it is about meatloaf, but I really (really) like it.

2 lbs ground beef
1 c. shredded cheddar
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 onion, chopped
2 eggs
3/4 c. water
1/3 c. ketchup
3/4 c. bread crumbs
2-4 slices of bacon, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add all ingredients, except bacon, into a bowl and mix until evenly distributed.
Form into 4 mini meatloaves (I typically make 2 slightly larger for The Mr. and 2 slightly smaller for The Little Lady).
Criss cross two slices (or one slice, halved) of bacon overtop of each meatloaf, so that ends, if long enough, are underneath.
Place in baking pan and bake for 1 hour.

A Note From The LL: I typically bake two and freeze two (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap), which makes for an easy meal down the road.