Meatloafasaurus Rex

So, here we are with a recipe from my beloved cousin David Lapointe. He and his wife Mary are the owners of a company called PepperMary Specialty Products, and at our house we use a lot of their seasoning blends, especially the Cajun Blend and the Mesquite Blend. This recipe of David’s, Meatloafasaurus Rex, is the best meatloaf recipe ever, including better than mine! I will never make it any other way now, and the family was totally wowed by it. The only thing I changed with it was, I added an extra Tbl of PepperMary’s Mesquite Blend spice, a cup of milk (I always do because it makes the meatloaf even more tender), and I added diced green pepper and carrots to the mix. I love the flavor it gives meatloaf and meatballs, and it’s a way to boost the nutritional content with more veggies!

So, let’s get cooking!

First, dice your veggies, the onion, pepper, and carrots.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, you can mix the meats together or wait until you add the other ingredients. I used 2.5 lbs of beef and 1 lb pork. On the meats, David says, “Use ground meats of your choice; I like equal amounts of ground sirloin, pork, and veal.”

Add the bread crumbs, diced vegetables, Ranch dressing mix, 1-2 Tbl PepperMary Mesquite Blend, and eggs. If you’d like to add a cup of milk to the mix, do that now also.

Mix well. I use my hands, as it’s a more sure way of thoroughly blending ingredients, and not as hard as using a wooden spoon or whatever to mix. This is actually great for the kids to do; they *love* being able to stick their hands into a mess like this, and they’ll gleefully go wash their hands in order to be allowed! ;)

Now, place the mixture in a large baking dish. I used a 13 X 15”, the largest one. Form into a large loaf. I made mine about 3” high. Cover with the bacon, overlapping as necessary. David likes to tuck the ends under the loaf. Sprinkle 1 Tbl PepperMary Mesquite Blend on top.




Bake uncovered at 375° for an hour and 15 minutes to 1 ½ hours. Oh my goodness, serve and enjoy! ~TMMF

Meatloafasaurus Rex

3-4 lbs ground meat, your choice
1 lg onion
1 lg green pepper (my add-on to the recipe)
2 lg carrots (my add-on)
1 pkt Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
2 Tbl PepperMary Mesquite Blend, divided
Turkey Bacon