Grandma's Meatloaf

If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn't have given us grandmothers.
-Linda Henley

Remember my cute grandma, Betty Jean? Well, the other day when I was showing you her china (which is now mine) I got so wrapped up in trying to decide if the china was vintage or collectible or antique that I forgot to share with you her recipe for meatloaf. Only it isn't exactly her recipe anymore. I've fiddled with it until I've got what I think is the perfect recipe for meatloaf, but it starts with her secret ingredient, sausage. I think I'll be serving this on Sunday on her pretty china plates.

Meatloaf
2 lbs. lean ground beef
¾ lb. country style sausage
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

• Heat oven to 350˚. Lightly beat eggs in a prep bowl. Combine beef, sausage, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, garlic, zucchini, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
• Divide meatloaf mixture into two large loaf pans or four mini loaf pans. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes for large loaves or 45 minutes to 1 hour for mini loaves, checking to make sure meat it cooked all the way through at the earliest cooking time and cooking for additional time if needed.
• Serve with baked potatoes or instant or homemade mashed potatoes, veggies and fresh fruit.

Serves 6 to 8

Notes:
• I freeze one loaf instead of cooking it. I place the meatloaf mixture in a freezer bag, put the freezer bag in my loaf pan, shaping the meat mixture to the pan. Then I put it in the freezer and when the meat is frozen, I take the bag out of the pan and put the pan away. When I thaw it, I take the frozen meatloaf brick out of the bag, place it in the pan, cover it and let it thaw in the refrigerator over night.
• Leftover meatloaf makes excellent cold meatloaf sandwiches.