By Brayden is one hundred and sixty-two weeks old. Eden is twenty weeks old. The cafe-expansion soft-opening is planned for November 11 (six days from this Sunday). The cheeseburger loaf is Mama’s recipe — the small comfort-meatloaf-with-cheeseburger-flavor that has been in our family’s rotation since I was small.
The cheeseburger loaf is a small meatloaf-with-cheese-stuffed-center — ground beef, onion, garlic, an egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper. The mixture is divided into two halves — one half goes in the loaf pan, a small cheese-strip (mozzarella or cheddar, sliced thick) goes on top, the second half goes over. The loaf is baked at three-seventy-five for fifty minutes.
The technique question on a stuffed loaf is the cheese-placement. The cheese needs to be fully covered by the second meat-half so the cheese does not leak out during the bake. The small overlap on all sides ensures the cheese is contained.
Sunday I made the loaf. Dustin had three slices. Brayden had a small piece.
Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives. She holds Eden. She plays with Brayden. She drinks the small coffee. We talk for two hours. The small Aunt-Linda-and-Roy small post-retirement rhythm has settled into the small comfortable-pace they have been building since Roy stopped driving.
Dustin’s small Tulsa-shop work continues. The small shop-manager-and-eventually-owner trajectory is in its small mid-phase. Bobby is moving toward the small retirement-handoff. The small five-year-buyout-structure is in its small operational-rhythm.
The small family-of-four routine continues. Brayden goes to school. Eden goes to daycare. Dustin goes to the shop. I do the small catering-and-cookbook-and-blog work. The small days have the small predictable shape that the small steady-state of the small family-with-two-kids assumes.
The small Tulsa-apartment continues to be the small home. We have not yet moved to a small house. The small house-search continues to be on the small slow-burn. The small five-year-down-payment-savings-plan continues to accumulate.
Cheeseburger Loaf
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons ketchup, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 dill pickle slices, roughly chopped (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Mix the loaf. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, onion, 2 tablespoons ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined — do not overwork the meat or the loaf will be dense.
- Shape and top. Transfer the mixture to your prepared pan or sheet and shape into a firm loaf. Spread the remaining 2 tablespoons of ketchup evenly over the top.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, scatter the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar over the top, and return to the oven for 10 more minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the internal temperature reads 160°F.
- Rest and serve. Let the loaf rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing. Top with chopped pickles if desired. Serve with mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 520mg