Italian Meatloaf

• 1 lb ground beef (leaner is better)
• 1  4 oz can mushrooms (reserve juice)
• 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 center cut bacon strips( I use Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• pinch or less of thyme
• 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1  8oz can tomato sauce ( I used last years canned tomatoes from the garden)

  Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add water to mushroom juice to make 1 cup. ( I leave out the mushrooms). Fry bacon until crispy, drain and crumble. Set aside. ( Save time by using already cooked bacon). 

  Combine beef, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, egg, mushroom juice, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. On wax paper, form meat mixture into a 8x12 inch rectangle.

   Sprinkle meat with parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, and 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. ( If you mix the seasons in a small dish first, then oven meatloaf works well). Spread bacon, onion, mushrooms, and cheese evenly over meat.

   Roll meat into an 8 inch wide loaf. Place meatloaf into an 8 inch glass bread pan or glass baking dish.

  Bake around 50-60 minutes. Pour tomato sauce over meatloaf and cook an additional 15 minutes.
  Let meatloaf sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

  Recipe by: tastymeatloafrecipes.com