Are you up to your ears in zucchini from your garden or CSA?  I am.  Take a look at exhibit A.  Um, that is only *half* of the zucchini.

I'm a beast!

This monstrous mutation of a zucchini and squash grew in our garden.  Looks like a pumpkin, I know.  The flesh is bright orange like a pumpkin, so maybe?  My husband let it

grow this large  in order to save lots of seeds.  Then, he plopped it on the counter for me to “do

something with.”    I’m ignoring two other large zucchini sitting on my kitchen counter that are waiting for someone to eat them.  I had to deal with this beast first!

For kicks, I measured it.  I only wish we’d done so before he cut into it to save seeds.  It measures 22″ around, 7″ across, and 8.5″ long.  That means that the whole stinkin’ thing was around 17″ long!  After getting over my feelings of being overwhelmed, I dove into that thing like a mad woman and began grating it for various recipes.  I have only made it through one half of it and already have 8c of grated zucchini.

I like to put it into small ziploc bags, 2c (or 3c if I want to make zucchini bread later) at a time and freeze it for later use. After grating the rest I should have somewhere around 16c of grated zucchini.  Guess what we’ll be enjoying through the fall, winter, and spring?!

I’ve already shared recipes for zucchini pancakes, squash casserole, and creamy quinoa primavera.  But you have to try this recipe for the best meatloaf ever!  Admittedly, I never cared for meatloaf growing up.  But I love this recipe.  Even if you or someone in your family is not a meatloaf fan, I can almost guarantee that they will like it.  This is not your ordinary meatloaf!  Everyone I’ve made it for has enjoyed it.  And do you know what I love best about it?  It is chock *full* of vegetables.  It is a great way to get veggies into your diet.

I am a “treat meat as a side item” kind of gal, so this is a great main dish.  We had it for dinner last night with homemade sweet potato fries and creamy garlic cauliflower.  I should warn you that the texture is a bit, well… mushy.  It kind of falls apart as you take it out of the pan.  We don’t mind it, but I’ve found that baking it longer helps firm up the loaf.

Garden Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef (preferably grass-fed!)

2 c grated carrots

2 c chopped onions

2c grated zucchini

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 eggs

1 c bread crumbs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 T parsley

1 tsp thyme

1/2 – 1 tsp sage

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute onion until golden brown.  Add remaining veggies and cook until softened.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Look at all those veggies! This is a 10-inch cast iron skillet!

2.  In a large bowl, combine beef, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs.  Add in cooked veggies and mix well.

3.  Place in a 9×13 glass baking dish and shape into a loaf.  Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (I often leave mine in longer).

Before baking - this would fit into a loaf pan, but we don't like feeling like we are eating straight grease (not that it's bad for you!). This way, it all stays on the sides.

This is a great dish to fix ahead of time and freeze.  You need only to thaw and re-heat in the oven! Enjoy!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop