Avoir Chaud's Italian Meatloaf

I've had many meatloaves before but many of them were just ok.  They had a lot of flavor and extremely moist, so moist that they were falling apart into awful mess.  I have never been fond of a meatloaf's texture being soggy.  I like a semi-firm texture that is still extremely moist but also firm enough that your meatloaf sandwich won't turn into a horrific mess.  It's extremely easy to prepare, I used fresh herbs from my herb plants, you could use dry herbs.

The taste of this meatloaf is amazing the sweet glaze on top while the meatloaf it self is absolutely fantastic!  The use of the sauteed peppers and onions with fresh herbs is enough to call this meatloaf a winner.

2 pounds ground beef

2 eggs
2 tbsp hot sauce

(Optional- saute in 1 tbsp unsalted butter + 2 tbsp olive oil)

1 small green pepper and 1 small onion diced

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

(Chopped)

2 tsp fresh basil

1 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh oregano

1/2 cup bread crumbs

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.  Use your hands to mix everything in, mix for about 5 to 6 minutes.  If you are using a leaner ground beef, mix for only a couple of minutes.

Pat out mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan, bake until the internal temp reaches 150 degrees, about 50 minutes.  (it is not done yet)

Glaze
1/2 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup ketchup, mix together in a bowl.

Spread glaze on top of the meatloaf and bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven, uncovered; until internal temp reaches 160-165 degrees F (about another 25 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and drain the fat out of the pan and allow the meatloaf to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan.  Serve how to desired, this will serve approx 6 to 8 people.