Trader Joe's Meatloaf - Do As I Say, and Occasionally Do

This video recipe for Trader Joe's meatloaf was produced for a few reasons. First, I like meatloaf, and Trader Joe's (a chain of great little grocery stores) has some wonderful ingredients that make this recipe easy and delicious.

Secondly, I would love to be hired as a sort of video spokesperson for them - showing off their products for the benefit of my foodwish faithful, as well as the benefit of my feeble checking account balance.

Since I really use and love their products, it seems to be a perfect fit. The only problem is I don't think they know about me yet. I have people working on this, but I thought their job would be made easier if I had a few examples they could refer to.

Regarding the actual cooking of this meatloaf; I've always told people to cook their meatloaf to an internal temp of 155 degrees F. I've begged them to get a quality meat thermometer and use it religiously. I've told them the cooking times given in meatloaf recipes are only an approximation that will vary greatly.

So, it's with some shame that I now confess I haven't followed my own advice. I feel like the cardiologist who gets caught buying fried pork rinds at the mini-mart… "They're… err… for my friend."

Since I usually use the same amount of meat (2 pounds) and fixings, I just cook my loaf for one-hour and ten minutes at 325 degrees F, and it comes out beautifully moist.

But, for whatever reason, when I removed this lovely loaf o' meat from the oven, I decided to pop in a thermometer to check. As you can see from the completely un-edited photo here, the final internal temp was…155 degrees exactly. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
3 cup diced onions, carrots, celery
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup roasted tomato salsa
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 1/2 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
For the glaze:
1/2 cup roasted tomato salsa
3 tbsp brown sugar
For the sauce:
1/2 the cooked veggies
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
3 cups beef broth
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce