Recipe by Katie Shirkey Leithead
Aunt Villa’s Cheesy Meatloaf layers seasoned beef and pork with melted cheese for a hearty, comforting classic that’s perfect for family dinners and gatherings.
Aunt Villa’s Cheesy Meatloaf
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground sirloin (96% lean, 4% fat)
- ½ pound ground beef (70% lean, 30% fat)
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
- ½ cup finely chopped bell pepper
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Creole seasoning, to taste
- 1 cup chili sauce*
- ½ cup plain panko bread crumbs (more as needed)
- 6 slices American cheese
Instructions
- Mix meats, veggies, eggs, seasonings, and chili sauce together with hands. Add in bread crumbs, a little at a time, and mix well. Continue to add more bread crumbs until meat mixture binds together but is not too dry.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a meatloaf pan with cooking spray.
- Place half of meat mixture in pan and press down lightly with fingers. Top meat mixture with overlapping slices of cheese. Place the remainder of the meat mixture on top of the cheese. Press down slightly.
- Bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 155°, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
*Katie uses Heinz Chili Sauce.
Katie’s Tip: For a special touch, with the ketchup bottle, squirt the initial of the “honored guest” on top of the meatloaf.
This recipe came out to be a disaster, The cheese oozed out, and it had so much liquid.