It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a person who helps raise amazing meat in the most humane and sustainable way possible also knows how to cook it. MaryKay Buckner, the matriarch of Buckner Family Farm in Longmont, used to hate meatloaf as a kid, but then she created this recipe for the classic dish.

“Everyone I make it for just loves it, especially my kids,” MaryKay told us. “One of the great things about it is you can literally use any ground meat, and I usually mix two such as lamb and beef, pork and beef, and so on.”

The meat MaryKay uses comes straight from the her family’s own stash. After all, Buckner Family Farm raises sheep and pigs on open pasture, and grazes cattle on grasses right next door at the neighboring ranch. All these animals live a healthy life outside, roaming the farm as desired, making it a biodiverse haven of plants, critters and insects right near Boulder. Try out MaryKay’s meatloaf and help support this amazing operation.

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground meat (beef, pork and lamb are recommended)

1 egg

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cup pasta sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. In medium bowl combine ground meat, egg, bread crumbs, balsamic vinegar, and 3/5 cup pasta sauce until completely mixed.

3. Push meat into a long loaf pan, about 8×3 inches.

4. Pour remaining pasta sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella.

5. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, until just cooked through.

 

Tip: A good way to tell if meatloaf is done is when the juices that bubble to the top are no longer pink.