Hidden Veggie Meat Loaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze

Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze

• 1/2 cup ketchup or chili sauce
• 4 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar , honey or agave nectar
• 4 teaspoons cider or white vinegar

Meat Loaf

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup of your choice of veggie, diced or shredded (eg. squash, carrot, sweet pepper, celery)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon Spicely® Thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Spicely® Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Spicely® Meatloaf Seasoning
• 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (optional)
• 1/2 up milk, buttermilk or low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 pounds meat-loaf mix (2 parts ground chuck, 1 part ground veal, 1 part ground pork) or substitute 1 part ground chicken or turkey
• 2/3 cups crushed saltine crackers (about 16) or quick oatmeal or 1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs (can substitute gluten-free oats or bread crumbs)
• /3 cup minced parsley
• 6 ounces thin-sliced bacon

For The Glaze: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

For The Meat Loaf: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onion, garlic and veggies. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes; set aside to cool.

Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, Spicely® Meatloaf Seasoning, Worchestershire, pepper sauce, and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in a large bowl, along with crackers, oatmeal or bread crumbs, parsley and cook onions and garlic; mix with a fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture does stick, add additional milk, a couple tablespoons at a time, and continue stirring until mixture stops sticking.)

Turn meat mixture onto a work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into a loaf approximately 9 by 5 inches.

Cover a wire rack with foil; prick foil in several places with a fork. Place a rack on a shallow roasting pan lined with foil for easy cleanup. Alternately, cover a broiler pan and rack with foil and prick in several places with a fork.

Set formed loaf on rack. Brush loaf with half of the glaze, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping them slightly and tucking them under to prevent curling. Microwave for 2 minutes or simmer the remaining glaze until warm.

Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. Cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve with glaze drizzled over top.