Oh, sweet, sweet Maria. She is so filled with joy and love. You can’t help but smile while you’re around her, and her jokes will keep you laughing until you’re crying happy tears. She is the best of friends. Want to know another wonderful thing about this dear gal? She makes the most amazing meatloaf casserole. We adore it so much that we named it Maria’s Meatloaf Casserole for her. The ideal evening for us is hanging out at her house, catching up on life, with a plate of her hearty, savory, tomatoey meatloaf topped with creamy garlic potatoes, while laughing, of course. It’s truly the best. Everyone needs a little bit of Maria in their life, so we highly encourage you to whip up some Maria’s Meatloaf Casserole to enjoy with the ones you love!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped chives
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 3/4 cup green pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- fresh parsley, optional, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Peel and dice the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes.
Step 2 –Place the cubed potatoes in a medium-sized pot with a lid and cover them with cold water.
Step 3 –Cover the pot and bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat.
Step 4 –Transfer the lid away from the pot and lower the heat to medium-low.
Step 5 –Simmer the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 6 –Strain the potatoes and return them to the pot.
Step 7 –Mash the potatoes until they are smooth and no clumps remain.
Step 8 –Stir the half-and-half, the butter, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, 1 clove of the garlic, and the chives into the mashed potatoes until completely combined.
Step 9 –Stir the egg yolks into the mashed potatoes until completely combined.
Step 10 –Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 11 –In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil until it is shimmering.
Step 12 –Add the onion, the bell pepper, and the celery to the heated oil.
Step 13 –Over medium-high heat, sauté the veggies until completely soft, about 8 minutes.
Step 14 –Add the remaining garlic to the veggie mixture and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Step 15 –Add the ground beef to the softened veggies and cook while crumbling until the meat is no longer pink and fully cooked, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 16 –Add the remaining kosher salt, the tomato sauce, the breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, and the tomato paste to the meat mixture.
Step 17 –Evenly spread the meat mixture into a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish.
Step 18 –Top the meat mixture with the mashed potatoes, carefully spreading the potatoes over the entire surface of the meat.
Step 19 –Bake, uncovered, until the casserole is heated through, about 25 minutes.
Step 20 –Serve with the parsley.
