Cajun Meatloaf

I got this recipe from Ladies Home Journal several years ago. My family loves it and requests it often. Because it takes a little more time for the prep work, I usually double the recipe and freeze the other loaf.

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter
• 2  green onions, finely chopped
• 1  cup onion, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1⁄3 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1  tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1  teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  red pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2  bay leaves
• 1⁄2 cup ketchup
• 1⁄2 cup half-and-half or 1⁄2 cup evaporated milk
• 1  lb  extra lean ground beef
• 1  lb ground pork
• 2  large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2  teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

Directions

1. Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, onions, green pepper, celery and garlic; cook until softened. Stir in salt, cumin, pepper, ground red pepper, nutmeg and bay leaves and cook 1 minute. Stir in ketchup and half-and-half and simmer 2 minutes. Cool. Remove bay leaves.
2. Heat oven to 350ºF. Combine ground beef, ground pork, eggs, worcestershire, and tabasco in large bowl. Stir vegetable mixture into meat mixture until well blended.
3. Spoon mixture into 9x5 loaf pan. Bake 70 minutes until meat thermometer inserted in center registers 160ºF. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Drain and unmold onto serving platter.