Classic Winner's Meatloaf

The secret to tender, moist, and flavorful meatloaf is to use ground beef and Italian sausage with a sweet and tangy glaze. This recipe is great with Winner's Sweet Italian or regular Italian Sausage. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Winner’s Ground Beef
• 1/2 pound Winner’s Sweet Italian Sausage
• 1 & 1/4 cups bread crumbs
• 1 carrot, peeled, ends trimmed and cut into chunks
• 1 rib celery, ends trimmed and cut into chunks
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 tsp dry Italian Seasoning
• 2 –3 tsp salt
• 1–2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup ketchup, divided
• 2 tbsp + 1/2 cup dijon mustard, divided
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp Worcester sauce
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If using a broiler pan to bake your meatloaf, line the bottom of the pan with foil and spray the boiler rack with non-stick spray for easy clean-up.
2. Add bread crumbs to a large bowl.
3. Put the carrot, celery and onion pieces into the food processor along with the garlic, Italian Seasoning, Italian parsley, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground black pepper. Pulse until all the vegetables are finely minced.
4. Add the oil to a skillet and add the chopped vegetables. Set the skillet over medium heat. Once the veggies start to sizzle, cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until the mixture has dried out a bit and the vegetables are just beginning to brown. Add them to the bowl with the bread crumbs. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add 1/2 cup of the ketchup, 2 tablespoons of Dijon, ground beef, Italian Sausage, eggs, Worcester sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients until well combined.
6. If using a meatloaf pan, add the meatloaf mixture to the pan, pressing it down into an even layer. If using a broiler pan, dump the meatloaf mixture onto the broiler rack and shape into a loaf that’s approximately 8-9 inches long and 4-5 inches wide. Pat together with your hands so it forms a cohesive, sturdy loaf.
7. In a small bowl, stir the remaining 1/2 cup of ketchup with the remaining 1/2 cup Dijon mustard and brown sugar. Spread about 2/3 of the glaze over the top of the meatloaf, spreading it all the way to the edges.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the remaining glaze over the top of the meatloaf. Bake for another 25-35 minutes, until a meat thermometer plunged into the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees.
9. Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.