Lipton's Meat Loaf with a Twist

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I usually don't post on Sundays but one of my dearest friends is having a craving for meatloaf!

I have been making this meatloaf recipe ever since I got married 40 years ago! It comes from a friend of ours who used to have a house in Vermont where my husband and I went during ski season. I think it is so good that I have never felt the need to look for another recipe and my family and friends have been enjoying it all these years. Like a lot of meatloaves today, it is a variation of the one on the onion soup mix but the addition of bacon really makes it stand out. The original recipe calls for real bread crumbs, so if you have day old bread, by all means use it.

The way I like to accompany meatloaf is with baked sweet potatoes on the side and creamed spinach. If you don't want to make the latter, Stouffers makes a pretty good one. The baked sweet potato will only take an hour at 350 degrees, so both can cook in the same oven. Make sure you let it rest for at least 10 minutes, otherwise it will be hard to cut. I usually let it rest longer.

This is one of the simplest most delicious and economical meals you will ever have...The ultimate comfort food. In addition, there is nothing like having meatloaf sandwiches for the rest of the week!



Ingredients


1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix or Onion Beef Soup Mix

2 lbs. ground beef

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs*

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp dry basil*

3 slices of bacon

pepper


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
2. Shape into a loaf in a 13 x 9-inch baking or roasting pan or in a loaf pan. Cover with 3 slices of bacon.

3. Bake uncovered 1 hour or until done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.




*Cook's Note Use 1-1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs or 5 slices fresh bread, cubed
* If you have fresh basil use it..if you have lemon basil, even better!
* I prefer to use a metal meat loaf pan instead of ceramic. The one in the photo is from Getty Images. The one in the recipe will look the same or better!