Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf

Bacon wrapped meat loaf: Because everything is better with bacon :)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork

2 lb ground beef

1 c almond flour

1 egg

1 onion

1 bell pepper

1 c of tomato sauce (recipe below)

10 slices of bacon (20 if you are making the lattice)

Salt and pepper to taste

Tomato Sauce:

1 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes

1 1/2 c (about 1) roasted red pepper

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350ºF.

In your food processor blend together the onion and bell pepper until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients except for the tomato sauce.

In a large bowl use your hands to mix together the ground meat mixture  and 1 cup of the  tomato sauce. Separate the meatloaf mixture to form two 9 inch logs. If you don’t want to make the bacon lattice, place your logs in two 9 inch pans and top with bacon strips.

How to make the bacon lattice:

Lay out 4 to 7 parallel strips of the bacon on wax paper with about 1/4 inch between them. Fold back every other strip. Starting at one end, place one long strip of bacon perpendicular to the parallel strips. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip. Now take the parallel strips that are running underneath the perpendicular strip and fold them back over the perpendicular strip. Lay down a second perpendicular strip of dough next to the first strip, with some space between the strips. Unfold the folded parallel strips over the second strip. Continue this process until the weave is complete. 

Check this video if this is still unclear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jv8BGw31Cg 

Use the paper to help roll the meat

Place one of the meat logs onto the bacon lattice and roll up. 

Place on baking sheet and repeat with other meat log.

Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and get the bacon crispy, about 10 minutes.

While the meatloaf is baking, pour the rest of the tomato sauce into a small saucepot and simmer over medium heat.

Once cool, remove the meatloaf from the pan and slice on the opposite direction you placed the bacon–against the grain, just like meat. Top with the tomato sauce and serve immediately.