Simple and delicious beef main course meal
I love meatloaf and Salisbury steak, so I decided to put my own twist on them. This meal is easy to make and it’s also easy to adapt for new flavor options.

What You’ll Need:

1 lb ground beef (I recommend 80/20)
1 tbsp minced chive or scallion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp soy sauce or Dale’s Liquid Seasoning
1 roll RITZ brand crackers (about 20 crackers)
black pepper to taste (fresh ground when possible

Instructions:

Place your crackers into a large mixing bowl and crush with a potato masher, dough cutter, or even the bottom of a clean vegetable can. Make the pieces small, but not powdered. Add the rest of the ingredients and use your hands to mix it together. Don’t handle it too much, just enough to bring it together. If it doesn’t want to stay in one lump, you can add one egg as a binding agent.
Place meat into a loaf pan or baking dish. Cook on 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. (I like to cook it longer, and get a nice browned top.) Check occasionally while cooking. If you see any grease rise to the top, (it happens sometimes with lower quality beef) pull out the pan and drain the grease.
Serve with mashed or baked potatoes and your favorite vegetable.

Variation:
Home-style Salisbury Steak

Ingredients as listed above
1 jar Heinz fat-free beef gravy (or 2 cups homemade or other brand)

Mix ingredients as above, and form meat mix into patties. (About 6 patties per pound of meat) Be sure not to handle the meat too much, and do not use egg. Cook the patties in a shallow baking dish for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn the patties over, cover with the gravy, and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for another 15 minutes.
Not handling the meat too much is very important for meatloaf, Salisbury steak and meatballs. The less you handle the meat, the more velvety the final texture will be. Handle the meat too much and you’ll end up with a dry, rubbery final product.

Image: © Briana Blair, Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with beef gravy and Italian beans

Briana Blair

Briana Blair is an author and artisan. She has published more then 30 books and thousands of articles across multiple sites. After practicing Paganism and witchcraft for 25 years, she's now on a journey as an atheist and skeptic. She's eclectic, unpredictable, and always evolving. Facebook - Twitter