Well, I intended to make kofta with tahini sauce. Stay tuned for that recipe. Instead, I opted for a mushroom meatloaf. I needed to use up mushrooms that I had gotten on sale, and my husband really likes meatloaf. Rather than using a lot of tomato sauce, as I often do, I incorporated mushrooms into the meat mixture and made a mushroom sauce for the loaf. The result was different and quite good. My husband approved. The meatloaf came out rich, moist, and "meaty" although I used lean ground beef to make it. Chopped sweet bell peppers and onions gave the meatloaf additional flavor. Try the meatloaf with mashed potatoes or noodles to catch the low-fat mushroom sauce.
Mushroom Meatloaf -- Serves 6+
Meatloaf
4 ounces of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 cup of chopped red, yellow, and/or orange sweet bell peppers
1/2 cup of chopped onion (about 1/2 a large onion)
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2-3 slices of stale bread crumbled (about 2 loose cups--I use sourdough!)
2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 1/4 pound of lean ground beef
2 eggs
Coat a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chopped mushrooms, peppers, onion, and celery and microwave them until crisp-tender and the mushrooms release some of their liquid--1 1/2-3 minutes. Add the bread crumbs, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, garlic powder, and beef and mix everything together. Add the eggs and mix everything again until the mixture is well combined and reasonably cohesive. If the meat mixture seems too wet, you can add a bit more crumbled bread. If it seems too dry, dribble in a little milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together. Form the meat mixture into an oblong loaf shape in your prepared pan. Pour the mushroom sauce over the loaf. Bake the meatloaf for 60-75 minutes. Let the meatloaf stand for 10 minutes before serving it.
Sauce
4 ounces of sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 cup of hot beef broth (or 2 teaspoons of reduced sodium "Better Than
Bullion" dissolved in 1 cup of boiling water)
1 cup of low-fat milk
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 cup of flour
In a 4-cup measure, heat the mushrooms in the microwave for 1 minute. Add the beef broth, milk, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper and microwave the mixture until hot--about 1 minute (don't boil it!). Whisk in the flour. Heat the mixture in one minute increments, whisking after each minute, until slightly thickened--2-3 minutes (remember the sauce will continue to thicken as it cooks in the oven). Pour the sauce over the meatloaf.
