MANly Morning Meatloaf #Egg-Free

Queue the 2 & 1/2 Men theme song, because this is THE manly-est (!) breakfast meatloaf you will ever see (men, men, men, men, manly-men-men-me, oooooooooooooo...).  I am always looking for egg-free breakfasts (like here), that aren't sugary and carbo-loaded (like here).  When I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, I just knew I had to try it!  If you've been here before, you know that my hubby has a SLEW of food allergies and food intolerances.  I needed a manly breakfast to feed him on his way out the door; something that would keep him fueled all day long.

Breakfast is the trickiest meal to balance out when eggs are out of the question.  Often times, S just has coffee in the morning before work.  His works looong 12 hour days, most of which he's not stopping to eat lunch, resulting in him arriving home like a Tazmanian Devil searching for supper.  I know, I know....not good.  Let's all publicly shame him now......bad S!

Originally the recipe called for pork breakfast sausage to me mixed into the loaf....I substituted crumbled bacon instead and added fennel seeds to achieve the sausage flavor.  I know it seems like a LOT of bacon on the blog lately, but it's really only 1 pound that's been stretched to make this, the wilted salad &  salad dressing, and the apple-bacon sliders.  .

I made this ahead of time (without a loaf pan available in my summer rental house, hence the foil cozy/boat thingy) by roughly chopping and sauteing some veggies, folding them into the meat, then I shaped and baked it.  Paired with some fresh fruit, (and "glazed" with additional hot sauce) it was the ideal breakfast for S to start his day. He then coined the term Manly-Meatloaf, and so it was set in stone.  

Because this is an egg-free, and grain-free recipe it gets a little crumbly when slicing - for there aren't and binding ingredients.  Let's just consider those crumbles independent toppings!  It reheats well - I browned slices in a small pan to reheat them.

I enjoyed mine for brunch, with a few scrambled eggs and a tangerine, it was a perfect protein-packed meal.  

Print THIS Recipe!

MANly Morning Meatloaf adapted from, PaleOMG.com

makes 5 servings

1 pound lean ground beef

1 small zucchini, diced

8 oz mushrooms, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp grape seed oil, or cooking oil of choice

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp basil, dried

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp ground pepper, divided

1 TBS Frank's Red Hot

In a large saute pan, heat the grape seed oil over medium-high heat.  When the oil starts to ripple add in the chopped onions, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp of pepper.  Cook until the onions are softened and just becoming translucent, about 2-3 minutes.  Add in the mushrooms and zucchini and continue to cook so that the mushrooms and zucchini start to release their juices; stir and cook until all the juices have been cooked off and the veggies are slightly browned, for about 4- 5 minutes.  Transfer veggies into a large mixing bowl to cool, set aside.

Once the veggies have cooled preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Add the spices to the veggie mix, along with the remaining salt and pepper, crumbled bacon, and hot sauce; mix well.  Crumble in the ground beef, breaking it up as you add it into the mixing bowl.  Gently fold it into the veggie mix; gently toss to incorporate the veggies and the meat.  Once blended, press the mixture into a large loaf pan, or shape into a loaf on a foil lined sheet pan.  Press any of the loose veggies left in the mixing bowl onto the top of the loaf. 

Bake for 60-65 minutes, until the meat is cooked through, and the center reads 160 degrees.  Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes (this makes slicing it easier).

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