Meat Loaf or Ring?

   My first meatloaf I ever made had very crusty edges, because I had to cook it long enough to cook the inside. My husband and I both like our meat well done, and when cooking for children, I always want the meat well done.
   My solution?... The Meat Ring! I prepare my meat the same as if I'm making meat loaf, but instead of using a loaf pan, I use a round or oval casserole dish. I place the meat in the dish and pat it smooth just as if I were making a loaf.
Then using my fingers, I make a large hole in the center of the loaf, forming a ring.
Be sure your ring is even all the way around. This will cut your cooking time in half and ensure a more evenly cooked meat "ring". It is also easy to slice and serve straight from the pan.

Meat "Ring"
Ingredients:
   1 egg, beaten
   ¼ c. fine bread crumbs
      or ¾ c. soft bread crumbs(1 slice of bread)
   ¼ c. Worcestershire
   ¼ c. chopped mushrooms, celery, green pepper,
      or shredded carrots ( I prefer green peppers,
      but my husband likes the mushroom.)
   1 Tbsp. dried minced onions
   ½ tsp. basil
   ½ tsp. oregano
   ½ tsp. salt
   ¼ tsp. black pepper
   1 lb. ground beef

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except ground beef.
Mix well.
Add ground beef and mix well. Hands work well for this.
Pat mixture into 1 quart casserole dish. Form a hole in the center of the circle to form a ring.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes for the ring (45 to 60 minutes for a loaf) or until no pink remains. Spoon barbecue sauce or ketchup over meat if desired for the last 10 minutes of baking time.
Makes 4 servings.

Notes:
   You can use fresh onions, but any leftover meatloaf really stinks up the refrigerator because of the onions. I use the minced onions because they do not stink up my refrigerator as bad as the fresh onions.
   I also, drain the excess fat off about half way through the baking time and again before adding the ketchup or barbeque sauce.
   The meatloaf pictured, is in a 2 quart dish because I doubled the recipe.
   When I double this recipe, I use ¼ c. Worcestershire & ¼ c. milk.
Weight Watcher points - 1/10th of meatloaf is 3 pts