you can also mix ground pork in with the ground beef for extra flavour and moisture. What is key in making meatloaf, meatballs or burgers is to mix it GENTLY with your hands. Overhandling or squeezing the mixture will toughen it up.

Here's the way my mom always made our meat loaf here in Texas and it's the bomb ( at least we think so). We like things spicy and this is full of flavor. Not hot, just flavorful. Big difference. Never thought about it tasting like any type of “Mexican food”, but living in Texas and being from San Antonio, I grew up on Tex-Mex all my life and there is a huge difference between Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican food. This is neither one. I guess you could call this a: “Texas Meatloaf” Take 2-3 lbs of ground beef ( we like it better with an average amount of fat to it - in other words, don't use beef that's too lean as it will be too dry and not too fat as it will be too greasy). To your ground beef add: 1 - chopped onion 1 - chopped green bell pepper 1/2 tsp to 1 Tbsp of chili powder (we use either Gebhardt's or Mexene's) 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp ground cumin 1 - egg, beaten 1 - 8 oz can of Hunts Tomato Sauce (this has a fair amount of salt already in it) 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp garlic salt (I'm guessing on this. Start with ½ tsp and taste. Yeah, we sample the ground beef) We also use Lawry's brand of garlic salt, as it has parsley in it). The amount of garlic salt you need will vary depending on your taste, the amount of beef you use, the saltiness of the tomato sauce and the salt content of the next item 1 to 2 pkg(s) saltine crackers, crushed but not pulverized. Leave some big chunks or bits (if salt is a problem for you, use unsalted saltines) salt and pepper to taste We then take our washed hands or you can use whenever you wish, and we mix all the ingredients together. Once everything is pretty well mixed, turn it over into a baking dish (we use a 13 x 9 metal or glass pan), shape mixture into a loaf, and cook for about 1 hour at 350 degrees. As this cooks, it will produce some grease in the pan and we usually wait until it's totally cooked and then we take great care and pour off the grease before serving. We serve this with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Corn or Italian Green Beans and sometimes a salad. You could also add some worchestershire sauce and chopped carrots or broccoli but that’s up to you. Hope you enjoy this recipe!!

take 1 package of ground beef/ chuck/ lamb(whichever you choose) 1 can of crushed tomatos 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs 1 egg salt and pepper to taste 1 medium onion 1 clove garlic crushed Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, place in baking pan ( non-stick) form as a loaf Bake at 375 degrees for 30min. you can top with cheese ( american or swiss) slice and eat!

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-classic-meat-loaf