In my clear out the pantry, cupboards and freezer efforts, I ran across a half used bag of herb seasoned stuffing. Must have been leftover from the holidays.
(Side note – I highly recommend spending 4-6 weeks each year, doing a “pretend like you are moving” clean out of your pantry and freezer. Highly. Recommend.)
Every so often this bag of half used stuffing would give me a gentle reminder that it needed to be used. Once it almost fell off the shelf, which would have been a terrible mess! I’ve brushed past it a number of times and it kept saying…”I want you to eat me. Soon.”
Well, soon is now.
I decided to use it in place of bread crumbs in meatloaf. I had the perfect package of ground chuck, bought on Manager’s Special.
(Note: I ended up cooking this in 9×13 glass baking dish, because I ran out of time. It cooks faster in a flat baking dish (45 min)…you could certainly make this into 2 9×5 loaf pans…just up the time by 25-30 minutes to be sure it cooks all the way through.)
Stuffing Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups stuffing
- 2 lbs. about 2 lbs. ground chuck
- 2 eggs 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- ketchup drizzled on top
- bread and veggies side dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large mixing bowl, crush the stuffing using potato masher. (You could grind in a food processor or blender. I didn't because I didn't want to dirty another dish.)
- Add the ground beef, eggs, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Combine well.
- Press the meat mixture into a 9x13 glass baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 -50 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Serve Stuffing Meatloaf with bread and butter, and favorite veggie.
Maureen says
It must be Meatloaf Monday…I just posted a meatloaf recipe today. This looks like a great recipe!
brandy says
I have been using my extra stuffing (and mayo! And tuna!) in making tuna cakes. My 1 year old loves them!!!
[email protected] says
Thanks for hosting Erin! I bet my house full of men would LOVE that meatloaf!
~Liz
JustaFrugalFoodie says
NICE! I just made Salisbury Steaks and used an open bag of stuffing in place of bread crumbs. It’s a great way to add lots of flavor!
Heidi says
I just submitted a recipe. Forbidden Rice Salad
Brenda Williams says
Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
MKS says
Ooooh, I had some Rosemary and seasalt specialty bread (that I got on discount) that just wasn’t that good. I stuck it in the freezer and forgot about it. Well just 2 days ago, I made it into crumbs! It might be perfect in a meatloaf. I’m sure going to try anyway. BTW, I have a great recipe that uses a couple of cups of this kind of bread crumbs. It’s like a chicken pot pie, but the crumbs instead of the crust. Mmm.
DavetteB says
I love the idea of doing it in an oblong pan to save cooking time!
MKS says
Uh, oh. You never mention the ketchup in the instructions. I thought it was unlike my other meatloaves not to have a tomato product in the meat mixture, assuming the ketchup was to be put on top. Well, it’s set to cook, we’ll see how it turns out.
Tanya Avera says
this sounds great – but i can never find ground anything that cheap – the cheapest i’ve been able to get is $1.99/lb and that is the really high fat one…how do you do it?