Ina Garten's Meatloaf

This recipe serves a big crowd and is perfect for Church Sunday Dinners! When I was growing up my Mom served meatloaf fairly regularly. It was cheaper when feeding five children to make a good loaf and serve it up. Over the years I tried to replicate Mom's meatloaf to no avail. There was a missing ingredient I just couldn't identify! But then, one day, I watched one of my favorite, cooks, Ina Garten, making a meatloaf. She mentioned an ingredient I hadn't been putting in mine: fresh thyme! 

I don't know if Ina knew Mom or not but I suspect she knew someone who knew how they made a good meatloaf up north, either that or our beloved Ina is an instinctive Minnesotan. But I sure do love her cooking and recipe ideas and tips and encourage everyone to get familiar with her recipes!

• 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80/20)
• 1/2 cup good dry breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 cups yellow onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp (more if you really love it) thyme leaves, chopped
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground or cracked pepper
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste

1. Sautee and cool the onions, allow to cool.
2. Whisk the eggs.
3. In a large bowl, add the chuck, breadcrumbs, eggs, thyme, salt, tomato paste Worcestershire sauce, and chicken stock, and mix with a large spoon or by hand.
4. Pile onto a baking pan lined with foil and sprayed with oil- you want it to be no more than 3" high and pat it into a rectangle as much as possible.
5. Slather with the ketchup and cook, cover for 50 minutes, remove the foil and set the oven to 425, allow it to crust (around 10 minutes).
6. Check for the temperature to 155-160 in the middle. 
7. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.