My husband loves meatloaf. So much so that I’m pretty sure he’d eat the entire thing in one sitting no matter how much I made. Except I expect him to share. So he doesn’t eat it all. But usually there aren’t leftovers.

I’ve tried various versions of meatloaf over the years, especially with different tomato options and spices. There are recipes that use ketchup, tomato sauce and paste, different vegetables (there’s a spinach stuffed version that is super), and all kinds of spices.

But in the end, the recipe I use is always about the same, always good, and always turns out just dandy!

Here’s what I use (serves 2-4 people, or 1-2 if you’re in my house)

1 lb lean ground beef
2/3 cup panko (or regular unseasoned bread crumbs)
½ cup tomato sauce (keep extra, about ¼ cup on the side for topping)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp parsley

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375F. Prepare a 9×9 pan with tinfoil. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl (I often wash my hands and mix it with my fingers – it’s fastest and seems to do the best job incorporating all the ingredients), then place in the prepared pan in a long rectangular shape. Pour reserved tomato sauce over the top. *I sometimes sprinkle a little extra salt and pepper on top as well at this stage, but you don’t need to!

Bake 45 minutes or until center is 180F and light pink to pale brown in the center.