Meatloaf with Fresh Sage and Oregano

Fresh herbs from my brother’s
garden (right) inspire me to cook. I snap photos as I begin to prepare meatloaf with fresh sage and oregano. Here is a list of  ingredients:

2 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup cooked brown rice (or white)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (less if you like)
1/4 c chopped garlic (or as many cloves as you like)
15 -25 fresh sage leaves or more, chopped
30-60 fresh oregano leaves or more, chopped
1/4 cup hot sauce or tomato ketchup
2 eggs (cage free, if you ask the chickens)
Salt and Pepper

Meatloaf is a recipe that everyone makes, so if there is anything in this recipe you don’t like, feel free to improve it by replacing it with something you do like. I am using about 2 pounds of 93% lean ground beef, so we won’t clog our arteries, but fatty ground beef tastes much better, so use it if your prefer it. I finely chop one yellow onion which makes about 3/4 cup, and chop a pile of garlic cloves (next to the onions in the photo) amounting to about 1/4 cup. We love garlic, and I firmly believe if you double the garlic, the food will be twice as good, but according to your appreciation of garlic, add more or less, or eliminate it. Fresh sage and oregano I cannot resist showing in their full beauty on the cutting board above before chopping. To the left is a photo after removing the stems and chopping the leaves finely. (They look very green but not really “finely” chopped. I tried.) Please feel free to substitute or add other herbs of your choice. Everything is ready now for action:

Add the onions, garlic, chopped herbs, and 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice, or white rice, to the ground beef and mix. (No instructions here. You know how it’s done. Ha! Messy!) Then add the two eggs and almost 1/4 cup of hot sauce or tomato ketchup. Also, salt and pepper to taste. (I leave out salt because my hubby must limit his salt intake.) Mix again.

After mixing, put the meat into a loaf pan, as shown. Bake in an oven at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour and 2o minutes. I start watching after an hour. Use your own judgment.

Our meatloaf was delicious, fragrant, and rich with flavor from the fresh herbs that went into it.

Thank you for joining me in my cooking frenzy with fresh herbs from Jeffery’s bountiful backyard garden featured in photos below.