On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:22:10 -0800, Bob Terwilliger
> wrote:

>Judy wrote:
>
>> I guess I don't see any sense in overloading a meatloaf with a bunch of
>> different veggies, since I always have some type of veggies (usually
>> steamed baby carrots) and baked potatoes. The only veggies I have used
>> in one is onions, green pepper and sometimes tomatoes, which is actually
>> a fruit, though I always have considered it more of a vegetable. I have
>> also used a little grated carrot, but not often. That is why they call
>> it a MEATloaf instead of a veggie loaf, IMO.
>
>1. You might consider adding mushrooms or cooked eggplant; both of them
>are fairly high in glutamate, which punches up the "meaty" flavors.
>(Tomatoes are also high in glutamate, which is why, even though they're
>fruits, they go better with savory dishes than as desserts.) You might
>also like to add a little soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or Maggi
>sauce for the same reason.
>
>2. If you have kids who are averse to vegetables, serving a
>vegetable-loaded meat loaf is a good way to trick them into eating more
>healthily.
>
>3. If you're going to add vegetables to meat loaf, each vegetable you
>add should serve a purpose. For example, onions add both a savory and a
>sweet element. Carrots add sweetness and serve as a binder. Celery adds
>a savory element which is hard to find elsewhere; it's one of those
>ingredients that you don't normally notice, but when it's missing you
>notice that *something* is missing.
>
>4. I think there's a very large spectrum of acceptability when it comes
>to the proportion of vegetables to meat. I don't mind when a meat loaf
>contains a fair proportion of vegetables; I think it's a worse mistake
>when it contains too high a proportion of meat, because then it gets dry
>and tough.
>
>Bob

IMO, the caveat to more veggies is that in the finished product, they
must be indistinguishable. . . hard little lumps destroy a meatloaf.
Janet US