This meatloaf has a wonderful festive vibe. Everyone will be talking about it and possibly laughing. But don’t worry—they’re amused by the food’s smile rather than at you.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 50 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 pounds lean ground beef
- 3 cups Italian bread crumbs
- 4 eggs
- 1 large onion, chopped
- ¼ cup spaghetti sauce
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch garlic salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup spaghetti sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 3 drops orange food coloring, or as needed (Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Combine beef, bread crumbs, eggs, onion, spaghetti sauce, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt in a large bowl. Push mixture down into the bottom of the bowl and smooth the top. Flip bowl over into a large cake pan with sides to hold drippings. Use fingers to mold a stem shape at the top and make a happy or scary pumpkin face in the meat.
- Combine spaghetti sauce and orange food coloring in a small bowl. Paint the meat loaf surface with the sauce mixture and sprinkle Italian seasoning on the stem.
- Bake in the preheated oven until inside is no longer pink, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Drain grease from cake pan or transfer loaf to a serving plate.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 445 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 23 g |
| Cholesterol | 169 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 410 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |