Bacon & Cheddar Meatloaf with Drunken Asparagus Couscous

Yes I said "Drunken Asparagus"...

Moving along... :)

Wednesday night I decided to play around with my old staple meatloaf recipe - eggs, panko, seasonings, meat, ketchup on top. Sometimes that just gets plain old boring for my tastes so I decided to toss in what I had in my fridge - bacon and cheddar. I had saved some of the cooked bacon from the last time I had cooked breakfast in hopes of producing something delicious with it. Same goes for the couscous from the steak tip meal on Monday.

Let's start with the meatloaf... I added in all my usual suspects but instead of just using ground chuck, I used a mix that my local grocery store sells that is ground pork, veal, and beef. The result is the tastiest meatloaf I've ever eaten. I don't think I'll go back to straight "meat" meatloaf ever again. I also changed up the typical ketchup topping and added some brown sugar, A1 and worsterchire sauce to the glaze. It gave the meatloaf this sweet finish in your mouth and reminded us of a barbecue bacon cheese burger - delicious!

As for the Drunken Asparagus Couscous... this just sort of popped into my head when I realized that I had leftover couscous and a beautiful bunch of organic asparagus in my fridge. It was a match made in heaven.

Enjoy :)

Bacon & Cheddar Meatloaf with Drunken Asparagus Couscous


For the loaf...
1.5 pounds of ground meat (I used a mix of 1/2 lb beef, 1/2 lb veal, 1/2 lb pork)
2 eggs
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 pieces of deli cheddar cheese, chopped
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
s&p to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl.
Transfer meat to a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam.
Form meat into a log, add glaze, and do a little dance that it's almost time to eat.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.


For the glaze...
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp A1
2 tsp Worcestershire

Combine glaze ingredients in a bowl.
Use a basting brush to slater glaze onto the meatloaf before cooking.
Halfway through the cooking process, slather more glaze on and try not to drool onto the meatloaf.


For the asparagus and couscous...
1 pound of asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces and blanched
1 tbsp + 1 tsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp white wine (I used chardonnay... a splash for dinner, a sip for me)
2 cups cooked couscous
s&p to taste

Heat the butter and oil together until combined. Add garlic and cook until translucent.
Sautee the asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.
Add the couscous and combine.
Add the white wine, allow to reduce, and toss in a teaspoon of butter for good measure. Season with salt & pepper as needed.