This is the recipe that I call “home”.
It is probably a recipe that my mom found on the side of a Campbell’s Tomato Soup can or in a magazine in the 1950’s. She cannot remember the history of this dish, but the all-too-obvious Campbell’s Tomato Soup topping gives away the recipe origin. That was how we ate then. If you could afford to. I have always loved this dish. Especially the caramelized crusty bits sticking to the side of the pan. Mom usually served it with simple boiled or mashed potatoes and a tossed salad. The potatoes were so yummy pushed into the sauce and soaking up the meaty tomato juices. I thought no one could ever make a better meatloaf until I made this one for dinner one evening with another meatloaf recipe I had always wanted to try. The other one was wrapped in bacon, and I was truly curious to taste mom’s beside this other very tasty meatloaf to determine what was so magic about hers.
The surprise was on me when I discovered the other one actually tasted better, but this was the one I loved, craved and that elicited the memories of my life at home.
I had a quiet celebration many times this summer as I needed one or two stalks of celery and just walked out to the garden to get them: first time growing it! It requires lots of water, and I don’t use much, so three to four clusters was plenty for us over the season. I was making a larger batch of this recipe on this day, so did need a few stalks of celery. And what beautiful celery it was!
Vanja detests celery, but I can usually bury it is foods so that it adds flavour, but isn’t distinct on its own.
Mom usually uses just beef, but I decided to use a good mix of lovely meats that I purchases at the market to make meatballs and meatloaf with.
I enjoy the entire process: chopping and dicing, mixing and mashing, shaping and saucing.
Three two people loaves and one large family loaf for dinner. I do always try to make an extra couple of meals to freeze whenever I have the time.
Somehow, I didn’t mask this celery flavour. It was a bold young independent stalk from my own garden and definitely presented itself vibrantly in this loaf. I loved it. Vanja did not. Ah, well. I tried.
I would like to be able to replicate the topping without using the Campbell’s Tomato soup. Ideas? It would have to taste very similar, or it just would not be the same. I love you, mom, and the wonderful home you made for our family!
Mom's Meatloaf
Ingredients
Ingredients for meatloaf:
- one onion , finely chopped
- 3 stalks of celery , finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup fine homemade bread crumbs or soda crackers , crumbed
- 1/2 tsp sage
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pound lean "know your farmer" ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt and lots of freshly ground pepper
Ingredients for topping:
- 1 can tomato soup
- 2 generous tablespoons golden brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
Instructions
Instructions for the Meatloaf:
- Saute the onions and celery in oil; pour milk over both and cool
- Combine meat, seasonings and crumbs; add milk mixture to tmeat mixture
- Combine all well; place in casserole dish
Instructions for Topping:
- Combine all ingredients well
- Spread evenly on top of meat in casserole dish
Baker:
- Bake at 350°F for 90 to 120 minutes
Notes
I have also made the recipe without frying the aromatics first, and just baked the meatloaf a little longer. It was delicious. The baking time is key. If underbaked, it is soggy and crumbly. When baked properly, the topping should be dark around the edges and the loaf releasing from the edges of the casserole dish.
Such a classic recipe. I no longer eat meat but your post has definitely stirred up some Sunday dinner memories. I love that you included pictures of the celery. Would you believe I had only seen supermarket celery until this year? I had no idea it could be so good!
El!
Isn’t that so true! The celery I grow definitely has a ton of flavour- and colour. I am crazy over it! You could grow it where you are, too.
🙂
V
This looks amazing, my kids would love your celery, sometimes it is the only thing they will eat. I tried to look up ingredients of Campbells tomato soup on line but no luck, did you know they have harvest yellow tomato flavor? Anyway, you should be able to replicate it by making tomato puree adding something sweet either sugar or carrot and thinking it as with roux, flour or cornstarch based. I don’t think I ever tasted campbells tomato so you may need to play with flavor: chicken stock, sugar, spices. I do love tomato and carrot combo and it gives great healthy sugar to a sauce.
Polwig!
excellent idea – you are absolutely right! Carrots are so sweet when cooked, I still haven’t found a carrot soup I enjoy. They all taste like dessert! Love your ingenuity! That is what I love about blogging. I will absolutely try that next time – you have really “restarted the engines” on that one!
🙂
Valerie
That was supposed to be thickening not thinking… I must have ben thinking about thinking 😉
Yes, this is Denver’s favorite as well. It definitely is “home”! I haven’t had it for a very long time. :)Your celery looks amazing! ox
Judy!
Sister of mine! That will be easy then, as I will make this as one of the meals for you and dad while we are at Lauren’s wedding in November! Can’t make it as good as mom, but it’s darn close.
🙂
XO
Valerie
ooooo, it’s been so long since i made meatloaf!
perhaps i will pick up some ground beef from my favourite farmer at the market on wed and make some for dinner this week 🙂
thanks for the lovely memories!
Debra –
You to? I actually served this to very appreciative company once. Who would ever serve meatloaf to company? Cheeky of me, I know. But, I love it. And, that is what they said, too. It had been years since they had eaten it, or made it, and they loved it. It seems all of our mothers made it, but we didn’t. I wonder why that is? Well, I did. but am definitely in the minority.
Hope you do make one and enjoy it as much as we do. And you are right – the market is the only place to buy the meat. Or, your farmer.
🙂
V
I’ll always have a place in my heart for a tasty meatloaf. It was always something I looked forward to at family dinners and also one of the first things I could cook (well) when I first moved out on my own! 🙂
I tried celery last year and it hardly grew at all. This year it was fabulous! Even after freezing a lot into soup packages (celery, onion, carrot), I have a few plants standing for fresh use. It’s stronger tasting than supermarket celery, I find, so I don’t use as much. I’ll grow it every year now.
Evelyn,
I also freeze celery! Most people are shocked to hear that, but I started when I had a half a bunch from the grocery store and knew it would be fine to freeze for a soup. After that, leftover bits always go into the freezer, and they do freeze beautifully!
Love your soup pack idea!
🙂
Valerie
Just beautiful. My mom’s recipe for meatloaf: ground beef and lipton onion soup mix LOL. Chopped fresh onions if we were lucky. Most of our food came from boxes or cans :P… maybe thats why i had to learn to cook.
*kisses* HH
I remember when I found out some of my favorite “mom” recipes were from the sides of containers!
I grew up on dishes our mom found on can labels, too. Thanks for sharing this meatloaf recipe. Will definitely try it this weekend.
I love making my mom’s recipes , they quickly transport me to my childhood. too bad the celery taste leaked through. the pics are tasty!!
ps, no owrry about 2 chiles in the beans, the flavor is really tame.
I love old recipes. I haven’t made meatloaf in years. My mom would always make mashed potatoes with her meatloaf.
Meatloaf is always the meal that speaks “home” to me too. There is something so comforting about that meal. I loved seeing your celery pictures too. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone grow their own…how fun!
NN
I was motivated to grow my own celery when we decided to stay home this summer so I could actually plant an edible garden and use it; I planted what I knew we would eat and knew it would grow here because one of my favourite market gardners sells it. It did really well… Kevin K told me it is actually a swamp plant and does best in a sandy soil with a lot of water. I didn’t do that, so it was a much darker green, more dense and a much stronger flavour than what you find in the store, but wowswers – was it ever fun to just go to the garden for a stalk of celery and pluck it THAT fresh whenever needed.
🙂
V
I’ve missed you and your sweet blog. I’m so glad I’m here tonight! And thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. I loved hearing the history behind it. I’m hungry again (we just finished dinner a couple of hours ago). Yummy..as always. Much love from Austin!
Monet,
Every time I see your name on this page, I am awash with emotion. I want to spend time with you on your site, and I have to just do it. What has been delaying my visit is wanting to set aside enough time for you. I just need to get there.
🙂
V
Valerie,
Can you believe I never had meatloaf until well into high school? Being brought up in an Asian home, meatloaf was never part of our meals. The very first time I tried it was at a friend’s house when I visited them before dinner time. She asked if I wanted to try. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of a huge amount of ground meat dishes like meat loaf or Sheppard’s Pie. But when I tasted “the other” meatloaf recipe of yours, it blew me away. It tasted amazing and I never thought I’d like meatloaf, but yours truly changed the way I look at meatloaf now. Meatloaf CAN be bursting with flavours. Thank you for opening my eyes to a whole different view on meatloaf. I can now say the word meatloaf without cringing and actually wanting to try everyone’s different versions. Thank you for sharing your Mom’s wonderful recipe with us. I’m sure they’re both very comparable in taste and taste equally as delicious. Some dishes are made with love, and I’m sure this, along with the many others that your mom made for you all, was one of them. Be back soon to catch up. Biggest hugs and enjoy your weekend! Please say hi to Vanja for me.
LQ!
I really had no idea about your not having had such a basic prairie food. So revealing to me as I had many friends from other countries when I was young – and we would eat back and forth at each other’s homes… but, I was never invited to my little Chinese friend’s house for dinner and that is the one I wanted to eat at the most! She came to mine, lots, though – and I thought this would be just how it was for everyone growing up here.
I should definitely know better!
🙂
Valerie
mm..Val this looks absolutely delicious! @danprime and I will have to try it out now that the days are officially getting colder!
I wish that my mother was here to tell me the special way she made meatloaf! It was fantastic or is it just the memory?
Wanda: The Teacher Cooks!
It may be the memory – like mine. Taste memory is a fascinating thing, really. I am sad you don’t have your mother’s recipe!
🙂
V