Mini Meat Loaves

 We enjoyed this recipe from "Crisco Cooking", although I used butter instead of shortening to brown my vegetables.  The second time I made this, just for 2, I made my 2 loaves and portioned out the rest of the mixture into meatballs, baked them 15 minutes, and packaged them to freeze and serve later.

I also didn’t bother with filling the loaves with the mushrooms and onions the second time, as they were incorporated into the sauce already.  They were just as good with a little less fuss.  Use a cup of thick white sauce if you don't like purchased soups.        

                             Mini Meat Loaves

     2/3     Cup  Milk

  2            Large  Eggs -- slightly beaten

     1/2     Cup  Onion -- finely chopped

     3/4     Teaspoon  Salt

     1/4     Teaspoon  Pepper

  1            Cup  Herb Stuffing Mix -- finely crushed

  2            Pounds  Ground Beef

     1/4     Cup  Shortening or butter

     1/2     Pound  Fresh Mushrooms -- sliced

     1/2     Cup  Onion -- sliced

  1            Can  Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup

     1/2     Cup  Sour Cream

Combine milk, eggs, chopped onion, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  Stir in stuffing mix; let stand for 5 minutes.  Add ground beef; mix well.

Divide meat into 6 portions; shape each into a loaf.  Place in a greased shallow 2 quart baking dish.  Make a depression down center of each loaf.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt shortening in heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and sliced onion; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove and reserve 1 cup of mushroom mixture.  Add soup and sour cream to remaining mushroom mixture in skillet; stir gently to combine as sauce.

Put 1 tablespoon mushroom sauce in depression of each loaf.  Seal meat over filling.  Reserve the remaining sauce.

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.  While meat loaves are baking, heat reserved sauce and the reserved mushroom mixture.

Arrange meat loaves on serving platter.  Spoon reserved sauce over each loaf.  Tip with reserved mushrooms and onions.

Garnish the platter with parsley and carrot curls, if desired.

6 Servings

2012 Cost:  $9.37 or $ 1.57 per serving  

Per Serving: 678 Calories; 56g Fat (74.4% calories from fat); 31g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 212mg Cholesterol; 536mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 9 Fat.