My Dad's Favorite Meatloaf

1 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.

2 . Stage

Cook the vegetables, season, and add Worcestershire and half the ketchup: Melt the butter in a large, thick-bottomed skillet, on medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the finely chopped onions, celery, carrot, green onions and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender, stirring every so often. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup ketchup. Cook for another minute and remove from heat to cool.

3 . Stage

Make the meatloaf mixture: Once the vegetables have cooled to the touch, place them in a large bowl with the ground beef, Italian sausage, eggs, breadcrumbs and parsley. Use your (very clean) hands to mix them together until everything is evenly distributed.

4 . Stage

Place in the loaf pan, cover with remaining ketchup: Place the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan (either 4-x 8-inch or 5- x 9-inch) and press to make compact in the pan. Or you can form a free-standing loaf onto a rimmed baking pan. Cover the meatloaf mixture with the rest of the ketchup.

5 . Stage

Bake: Bake for 1 hour at 350°F, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf reads 155°F. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to gently lift the meatloaf out of the loaf pan to a serving plate.

6 . Stage

Serve: Cut into thick slices to serve. The meatloaf makes great leftovers, just chill and reheat. Slices are good in sandwiches as well.