Melba: Good meatloaf deserves a good sauce

DEAR MELBA: Jane Martin asked for good meatloaf sauce recipes. This one has been a favorite at our house for about 30 years. I'm enclosing the meatloaf recipe, too.

BARBECUE MEATLOAF

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

¼ cup vinegar

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

2 pounds ground beef

½ pound pork sausage

2 eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup chopped onions

½ cup breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper, approximately

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. In medium dish, combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard. Set aside.

Mix beef, pork, eggs, onions, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and garlic. Add 1-cup of the sauce and mix well. Form into loaf and pack into prepared pan. Spread with ½ -cup sauce. Bake 1 hour, basting occasionally with the leftover sauce. Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Myrtle Dimick, Midwest City

DEAR MELBA: My meatloaf sauce is really a gravy. It's so simple: Mix 1 can tomato soup, 1 soup can water, salt and pepper. Place the meatloaf in the pan and spoon the gravy over the top. Bake. Then pour ketchup over the top and bake another 30 minutes.