"Loafless" Meat Loaf

I am a huge fan of meat loaf, just not the loaf.  It's just not how I grew up eating it.  When Bryan and I were first married, he was baffled by these weird patties that appeared on his plate calling themselves "meat loaf."  Meat loaf should be, well a loaf!  Right?  Wrong!  After he tasted devoured that first plate, it has been a regularly requested dish at our house!  Now, even my super-mega-ultra picky five-year-old requests the "little hamburgers with the ketchup already cooked on it!"

Would you like in on this loafless meat loaf?  It is so easy! 

Here's what you'll need:
1 package of saltines
two eggs
1 pound of ground beef
half an onion, sliced into rings
1 can of tomato sauce
seasoning of your choice (I usually just use salt, pepper, and garlic)
2 cans of green beans
4 (or so) potatoes, peeled and chopped

I use my electric skillet to cook these, so before I start I preheat it to about 250.

First, mix the eggs, seasonings, and crackers in a bowl.  Then add the meat.

Then make your patties.  Be sure not to make them too thick, or they won't cook evenly.

 Then take your onion rings and lay them over your patties.  This is great for us, because while I love the flavor of onions, eating them is a whole other story!  This way, I can pick mine off and still enjoy the flavor, and Bryan gets his beloved onions (and mine, too!)!

Cover these and let them cook for about 20-30 minutes, making sure they get a good crisp on the bottom.

After they crisp up, it's time to flip them.  At this point, it doesn't matter where the onions go, so don't worry about keeping them on top.  Pour some tomato sauce on top of each patty, as much or as little as you'd like.  Then pour in the green beans (drained first) and the potatoes.  Cover again and let cook for another 20 minutes or so, stirring the beans and potatoes occasionally.

And there you have it!  "Loafless" Meat Loaf!  I forgot to take a picture when it was all done, but you get the idea :)

Enjoy!