Comfort Food

My all-time favorite comfort food meal is definitely meatloaf with mac and cheese. Interestingly it's not something I had very frequently as a child, so I'm guessing there's some inherent quality to the dish that makes it super-duper satisfying.

In this recipe, I make mini-meatloaves that cook in just 20 minutes (I, admittedly, have to give credit to Rachel Ray for that idea... simply brilliant). And the mac and cheese is so decadent and easy, you'll never have to make it from the box again.

Mini-Meatloaf with Mac and Cheese

For the meatloaf (makes 4 loaves):

1 1/3 lb ground beef (or ground turkey for a lighter version)
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
4 tbsp tomato paste, divided
1/4 c Parmesan, grated
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/8 tsp each of dried oregano, parsley, and basil (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet and heat on low to medium. Add onions and bell peppers; saute until translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and set aside. Next, empty the ground beef into a bowl. Make a well in the middle of the ground beef. Into the well, add the egg, 2 tbsp tomato paste, Parmesan, bread crumbs, dried herbs, sauteed onion mixture, salt and pepper (4 or 5 turns of the mill should do).

Mix the ingredients well (although messy, your hands really are the best tool here). Next divide the ground beef mixture in four and shape each half into a wide, flat loaf, kind of like a flattened football. Place each on a baking sheet. Brush the remaining tomato paste all over the top of each meatloaf (see picture). Finally, lightly brush a bit of olive oil over top of the tomato paste (this step gives the cooked meatloaf a delicious crispy, crunchy outer layer). Cook in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Mac and Cheese

1/4 box of elbows or cellentani (spirals, my favorite!)
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c low-fat milk
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c Parmesan, grated
1/4 c Cheese-of-your-choice (I've used gruyere, fontina, asiago, and romano... all with great success)
pinch of white pepper (freshly ground black pepper works too)
1/8 c Italian bread crumbs
pinch of fresh parsley, chopped fine
1/2 sprig of thyme, chopped fine
1/4 sprig of rosemary, chopped fine
olive oil

While the meatloaf is in the oven... Boil the pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, make a roux in a small saucepan by melting the butter and then adding the flour, whisking constantly. Whisk for 2 minutes or so, but don't allow the roux to brown. Then start your bechemel sauce by adding the milk. Whisk fervently to incorporate your roux with the milk. Allow the bechemel sauce to begin to bubble and thicken*. Then add about a 1/3 of the cheeses and stir until completely melted; repeat until all the cheese is incorporated. Lastly, whisk in a pinch of white pepper.

Add pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well**; then pour that cheesy goodness into a casserole dish. Whisk bread crumbs, fresh herbs, and 1 tsp olive oil in a small bowl until olive oil is evenly distributed in the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over top the mac and cheese in the casserole. Place under the broiler until the bread crumbs turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Each mini-meatloaf is about a single serving. So, plate one with a heaping spoonful of mac and cheese and enjoy a comforting meal that just might remind you of Sunday night dinners when you were a kid.

Notes:
*I've played around with the desired thickness of the bechemel sauce. And I found that the thicker the bechemel the gooier the cheese sauce... so I let my bechemel become quite thick to where it's just about the thickness of white gravy.
** You can absolutely stop here and forgo the bread crumb topping with splendid results.