Getting anything green into my son is a battle. He puts on a fuss if we introduce anything new to his eating repertoire and, if really pushed to give new things a go will gag at the dinner table. Heavens forbid we try to feed him veges. It does my head in but we solider on. I needed to share that, thanks: I feel better now.
So, with my Bachelor of Mummihood, majoring in trickery, I’ve become a master at hiding vegetables in his food. This recipe below for meatloaf with a tomato saucey topping is a family favourite that always gets groans of delight from the little fella, as well as the big fella. It doesn’t have a tonne of vegetables in it, but enough to ease me off my hobby horse and polish my halo that the kid has had something that’s nutritionally sound! This is also a good weeknight meal that you can have on the table in half an hour. I make these in large muffin tins: You don’t have to. Whack it in a loaf baking tin if you prefer (like a gingerbread loaf) and bake it for 30-35 minutes. Easy.
Mini Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients for the meatloaf
500g beef mince
½ grated carrot
½ grated zucchini
½ onion finely diced
Handful finely chopped spinach/silverbeet
2 slices of day old bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs*
1 egg
1 heaped tablespoon basil pesto (optional)
Handful of finely chopped fresh herbs (I use parsley)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce (soy sauce will work too –but do 1 tsp instead)
2 heaped tablespoons of tomato paste
¼ teaspoon salt
Couple of grinds of fresh black pepper
Ingredients for Saucey topping: ¼ c tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tsp honey (adds a touch of sweetness which is nice), 1 Tlb Dijon mustard
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (normal fan bake). Line a baking loaf tin with baking paper.
- Place all the ingredients for the meatloaf in a large bowl and mix well (use your hands, faster!). Tip mixture into the loaf tin and smooth the top down so it’s evenly spread.
- In a bowl mix together the ingredients for the saucey topping and place on top of the meatloaf.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes and serve.
* I’m cutting back the amount of sugar we consume so I replaced the tomato sauce in the saucey topping with low sugar ketchup.
*In the spirit of being organised I keep all my bread crusts, blitz them in my flash fandangle food processor and then keep them in an old bread bag in the freezer. That way they are there and ready when I need them. Also I hate wastage (no-one in our house eats the crusts. Sigh).
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