Better Than Mom'S Sweet And Savory Meatloaf - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Sauce
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
Loaf
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (may substitute ground sirloin or ground turkey)
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
3/4 cup chunky pasta sauce (I used tomato, onion, garlic variety. You may need to add more if you use a less fatty meat.)
1/2 tablespoon parsley
1/2 tablespoon basil
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon marjoram
1 cup breadcrumbs (or ground croutons)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (regular salt is just fine)
1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Separate
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Preparation

PREP: Place oven rack on middle setting and preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using a less fatty meat, use a non-stick cooking spray to lightly coat the inside of your loaf pan. (If using ground beef, it is unnecessary to spray or grease your pan.). Lightly press the separate 2 tbsp of the packed brown sugar into the bottom of your loaf pan. Put like ingredients into prep bowls for ease in mixing later - this helps when you'll only have one hand (especially at least the dry ingredients of bread crumbs, salt, and pepper). Hint: thaw meat fully and bring cold ingredients (eggs, pasta sauce, sauce ingredients, etc) to room temperature prior to combining - this will aid in even cooking and correct cook time. (Waiting for items to reach room temperature is the bulk of your prep time, so your actual \"work\" prep time v. \"waiting\" prep time is about 5 min of work and 15-20 min of waiting.).
SAUCE: Stir the remaining tbsp of brown sugar and the rest of the sauce ingredients in a bowl until combined. Sauce should be slightly runny. With a spatula, lightly drizzle some rows of the sauce over the brown sugar in the bottom of the loaf pan. Do not fully cover. Set the remaining majority of the sauce aside.
LOAF: In a small skillet, sweat the diced onion over low heat. Half way through, add the garlic. (The onions and garlic do not cook inside the loaf and therefore you must heat them before.) Do not let them brown or carmelize. In a large mixing bowl, gently break up the meat with one hand (keep your other hand free and clean to hold the bowl and add in your other ingredients). When they are cool enough, slowly add in the onions and garlic until completely folded. Then add the pasta sauce, parsley, basil, garlic powder, and marjoram until blended. Next, you will alternate combining the dry ingredients (bread crumbs, salt, pepper combination) and half of the beaten eggs. Repeat dry ingredients and eggs until fully mixed. Shape mixture into a loaf and transfer it into your loaf pan. Gently press the loaf down and against the sides until you have a flat top service (as the meat cooks, it will pull away from the sides and form the classic \"loaf\" shape\"). Pour the majority of the sauce over the top of your loaf and spread it evenly until covered (I like to keep just a tiny bity of sauce to drizzle over the loaf when there is about 10 min of cook time left, but you can add it all at this point if you like).
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, checking occassionally. Add more sauce when and if necessary. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.