A good meatloaf with freshly made tomato sauce is great comfort food. It’s made along similar lines to meatballs and burgers, and trust me – anyone who tries it will love this just as much.

Prep Time

    •    Prep and cook time: 1 hour
    •    Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

    •    1 onion
    •    olive oil
    •    1 lemon
    •    1 tsp ground cumin
    •    2 tsps dried oregano
    •    1 large free-range egg
    •    500g quality minced beef
    •    2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
    •    12 Jacob's cream crackers
    •    2 heaped tsps Dijon mustard
    •    1 heaped tsp ground coriander
    •    12 slices of higher-welfare smoked bacon or pancetta

For tomato sauce:

    •    1 onion
    •    olive oil
    •    2 cloves of garlic
    •    1/2-1 fresh red chilli
    •    1 tsp smoked paprika
    •    2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
    •    1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
    •    2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
    •    2 x 400g tins of quality plum tomatoes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to full whack.
2. Peel, finely chop and place the onion in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil.
3. Season, add the cumin and coriander and fry for around 7 minutes, or until softened and lightly golden, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove to a large bowl to cool.
4. Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits with your hands.
5. Add to the bowl of onion with the oregano, mustard and minced beef. Crack in the egg and add a really good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. With clean hands, scrunch and mix it up well.
6. Move the meat mixture to a board, then pat and mould it into a large, rugby-ball shape and rub over a little oil.
7. You can either cook it now or put it on a plate, cover, and pop in the fridge until needed. If you're cooking it now, place the meatloaf in a casserole-type pan or baking dish, then pop in the hot oven.
8. Immediately reduce the temperature to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6 and cook for 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, for the sauce, peel and chop the onion into 1cm dice, then peel and finely slice the garlic along with the chilli.
10. Place in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil, the paprika and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
11. Cook for around 7 minutes, or until softened and lightly golden, stirring every 30 seconds or so.
12. Drain and add the chickpeas, along with the Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.
13. Bring to the boil, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and season if needed.
14. To finish, pick the rosemary leaves into a bowl. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and pour all the fat from the pan over the rosemary, mixing well.
15. Spoon your sauce around the meatloaf, lay the slices of bacon or pancetta over the top and scatter over the rosemary leaves. Put the pan back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bacon turns golden and the sauce is bubbling and delicious.
16. Delicious served with a mixed-leaf salad and lemon wedges for squeezing over.

This great family recipe is thanks to Jamie Oliver at https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/jamie-s-meatloaf/