Momma Carol’s Meatloaf
Meatloaf is the last dish Bumper remembers cooking with his mom, Carol, before she got sick with multiple sclerosis. “Sweetness and the nice texture of ground meat, how could you not like it?” he says. “You got to have a slice of cornbread with it, everything made from scratch. For how poor we were, that was our steak.”
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1½ pounds lean ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small onion, chopped
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup finely crushed Saltine cracker crumbs
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients. Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
- Lightly grease a 5- by 9-inch loaf pan. Press brown sugar into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread ketchup on top of the sugar.
- Mix all remaining ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl and shape into a loaf. Place into the loaf pan on top of the ketchup and sugar crust.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until juices are clear. Serves 6-8.
About the author
Chef Terry Bumper is the food services director at International School of Monterey, a public charter school in Seaside.
