This was my grandfather's recipe, which my mother learned by watching him make it many times. When I asked her how it was done so I could put it in my book, Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times, Mom said, "I don't know—you'll have to watch me!" So I did, and I took notes as she cooked this comforting, economical meal; these loaves served Mom, Dad, my husband Nathan, and me for at least two very satisfying dinners. And because they're cooked on top of the stove in sauce instead of baked in the oven, these meatloaves are always moist and delicious.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put ground meat in a large bowl. With your fist, push a bowl shape in the middle of the ground meat. Take a handful of crackers and crumble them by hand into the bowl shape in the beef. Beat the eggs and add them on top of the crackers, then pour in the milk. Season with a few shakes of salt and pepper and mix everything together with your hands.
Step 2
Sauté peppers and onions in a small pan with about a teaspoon of butter or olive oil until just tender, about five minutes. Add about a third of this to the meatloaf mixture and set the rest aside for the gravy.
Step 3
In a separate bowl or plate, crush a generous handful or so of the crackers. Form two large or three small loaves out of the meatloaf mixture and roll each in crushed crackers to coat. Melt about a teaspoon of butter in a large, deep pan and brown meatloaves over medium heat for about ten minutes. Flip each loaf with a long spatula to brown the other side, covering with lid both times.
Step 4
While loaves are browning on the second side, sauté sliced mushrooms in a small pan in a teaspoon of butter or olive oil for about five minutes. In a medium-sized pot, combine a large can of diced tomatoes, a jar of your favorite prepared spaghetti sauce, the mushrooms, and the rest of the sautéed peppers and onions. Stir and let simmer for a few minutes, then add to meatloaves. Cover pan, turn heat down to low, and let loaves cook through, about an hour. Serve with blanched green beans and white rice.
