Not Your Grandma’s Meatloaf (It’s Better)!

I am not a fan of meatloaf, it's bland and boring and not really something I enjoy eating but for some reason I was craving it, strange I know. I decided to make up my own recipe and this is what I came up with! I have to say it's out of this world! I used a base recipe that included the meat, eggs and ketchup. I pulled the rest of the ingredients out from other recipes I researched and added some cheese, because let's face it, everything is better with cheese. I added a little spice because my family loves a little heat and voila.... a masterpiece recipe!

Not Your Grandma’s Meatloaf (It’s Better)!

1 ½ pounds of ground beef or turkey (I use turkey)
2 eggs beaten
1 cup of herb seasoned stuffing mix (crushed semi-fine)
1 (1 oz) packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
¼ cup ketchup or chili sauce (I use chili sauce)
1 cup of shredded cheese (I use Colby-Jack)
½ onion finely chopped (OPTIONAL)
½ of one RED bell pepper finely chopped (OPTIONAL)
1 cup of mushrooms finely chopped (OPTIONAL)

Glaze sauce & Topping:

¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup ketchup or chili sauce
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. of lemon juice
1 tbsp. of Siracha Hot Sauce (Optional)
1 (6 oz) can of French-fried Onions and ¼ cup of shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a large bowl combine meat, eggs, stuffing mix, Ranch seasoning, ketchup, cheese and diced veggies.

3. Shape into a loaf and put into a 9 x 5 loaf pan or make 8 mini loaves like I did.

4. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until cooked through (large loaf will take a bit longer)

5. While loaves are cooking make the glaze by combining brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, lemon juice and Siracha hot sauce in a small mixing bowl. Wisk well.

6. When loaves are done, remove from oven, blot grease off with a paper towel and then cover the loaves with glaze. Then sprinkle with cheese and crushed French Fried onions and return to oven to bake for about 10 more minutes.