Not Your Mother's Meat Loaf

Totally forgot to pull out camera... Why is that so hard to do?

Last night I made meatloaf. I love meat loaf, Jeremy loves meatloaf, and really, what isn't to love after all.

When I was little, I wouldn't eat anything with crunchies in it, if a vegetable such as onion or pepper had even the slightest crunch, I could tell and would pick it out, around it, or just not eat it. To make meatloaf that I would eat, Dad would blend the veggies before mixing them with the meat to bake into meatloaf. I loved the flavor that the veggies added, but for whatever reason, couldn't deal with the texture. As I started making meatloaf on my own, I followed the same procedure.

Then came a day when I tried to eat fajitas with the onions and peppers (as long as they aren't green of course) and found that when cooked thoroughly I could eat them and enjoy them. With that knowledge, my meatloaf recipe changed and changed for the better. The onions and peppers get diced and put in the meatloaf, but not before getting sauteed with some garlic and salt and pepper.

Not Your Mother's Meat Loaf
2 LBS Ground Geef
1 Red/Yellow/Orange Pepper, diced
1 Onion, diced
2-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 TBS Butter
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 Egg
1 Can Tomato Soup
1 Cup Oatmeal
Salt and Pepper

Saute the pepper and onion with the butter and olive oil for a few minutes till they start to soften, add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Keep cooking for another 2 minutes, till the garlic is fragrant.
Allow to cool.
Mean while in a large bowl, slightly mix the meat with half of the oatmeal, the egg, and 1/3 of the can of tomato soup. Mix in the veggies, if it seems to wet, add more oatmeal. Season with a little bit more salt and pepper.
Form into loaf on cookie sheet or push into a loaf pan.
Bake in the oven at 350degrees for approximately 45min to an hour. Place a thermometer into the middle of the the meat, wanting it to read approximately 170degrees.

Serve with the remaining tomato soup, heated up.