When my daughter was about six months old, I remember making meatloaf on a cold day. When I fed her a tender bite, I felt cozy on the inside…as if I had just taken that first bite.

Fall is in the air and I’m craving comfort foods like Julia Child’s beef bourguignon, chicken pot pie and meatloaf. Let it be Sunday…kids playing outside, Cowboys are on tv and meatloaf is in the oven.

There is an art to making a really good meatloaf. It should be moist but firm and have a swirl of savory flavors that accentuate the meat.

My mom has always said, “Never eat anyone’s meatloaf but your mother’s.” I think it’s because she has anticipated a really good meatloaf only to be disappointed…too many times.

I promise that THIS meatloaf will be the one you want your mother to make from now on.

Meatloaf You Want Your Mother To Make

3 torn slices of white bread

1 C whole milk

3 eggs

1 large onion, finely chopped

8-10 roma tomatoes, pureed (reserve 1/2 of puree for sauce)

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1-2 garlic, finely chopped

1/4 C parsley, finely chopped

2 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T salt and pepper

2 lb ground chuck

1 ground pork

Top with BBQ 

4 oz pancetta, diced

1/2 C onion,  chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

pour in the reserve tomato puree

1/4 C yellow mustard

3 T red wine vinegar

3 T brown sugar

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 and prepare three disposable aluminum loaf pans (cutting slits in the corners) on a foil-lined baking sheet with a cooling rack set on the top.

Combine bread, milk and eggs in a large mixing bowl and soak about 25 minutes.

Saute onion, half of tomato puree, celery, and garlic in olive oil for about 4 minutes then cool.

Add Worcestershire, parsley, salt and pepper and the tomato mixture to the bread mixture.

Fold in ground beef and pork using two forks.

Saute pancetta in the same skillet. Add onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 3 additional minutes then top over meatloaves before baking.

Leftover meatloaf also makes the perfect sandwich.