Too Hot to Cook? Don't Grin and Take it - Grill and Bake It!

If you have a gas grill with a hood, did you know that you can use it as an oven? Mine has a thermometer on it that’s fairly accurate, but lacking that you can use a regular oven thermometer to regulate the temperature.

 

The other night I made a nice big meatloaf “in” the grill! I used a metal pan, of course, and covered it with foil. Once the grill was up to temperature I turned off all but one burner, and placed the meatloaf pan on the off-fire side. (Use your own meatloaf recipe: mine is pretty much whatever sounds good at the time.) I kept it there at about 400 degrees for an hour, then removed the foil and cooked until it registered 170 on the instant meat thermometer. This is one of the few places I like ketchup. Spread it over the top of the meatloaf when you remove the foil it gives the loaf a nice saucy top.

 

Meantime, I prepared some veggies in a grill pan:

Medium zucchini cut in two lengthwise.

Slabs of yellow onion sliced ½ inch thick.

“Mini” stuffed sweet peppers. Slit the peppers lengthwise, then make a small slash across the top under the stem cap. (Leave stems on.) Slip the cheese into that slit. Add a small leaf of fresh basil, tucking it in over the cheese but letting the point stay over the top.  

Drizzle good quality extra virgin olive oil over the veggies, then shake on salt, peper, and some herbs – I used Italian seasoning mix (except on the peppers) but suit yourself.  

Grill until the veggies are to your liking. It’s best to leave the peppers a bit crisp and the others cooked to just-soft stage with a little firmness left in them. 

Remove the meatloaf from the grill, cover with foil, and set it aside to rest while you grill the veggies.  (Resting will condense the juices back into the meat. If there is a lot of fat or liquid, pour it off after resting the loaf.)

There you go – a simple meal. Add bread or salad or whatever if you feel you need something more. 

Meatloaf leftovers are wonderful in cold sandwiches, or heated up in the microwave for another supper entrée. It’s even better the second time around when the flavors have melded!