I found a cache of yummy, frugal family recipes, so I’ll be posting them over the next few weeks.

Most of these were formulated by my relatives to feed a hungry, hard-working family with kids. Everyone in my family is frugal, so these recipes won’t contain any expensive or strange ingredients in small quantities- There is nothing worse than trying a new recipe only to find you only need 2 Tablespoons of an ingredient that you’ve never used before, or worse yet, only comes in a HUGE container/package.

I will try to include the sides that we’ve traditionally served with the main dish to round out the meal.

Chicken Parm Meatloaf (serves 6)

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use Italian seasoned)
• 1 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 Tablespoons onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh white mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned and chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 t. Salt and pepper (each)
• 1/2 c. Your favorite red pasta sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease a loaf pan
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, except for pasta sauce.  Mix well until all ingredients are well combined and mixture resembles a meaty paste (about 3-5 minutes of mixing)
4. Pour into a greased loaf pan, shape into a tidy loaf.
5. Pour pasta sauce over the top of the loaf.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until meat is cooked through. If you are using a meat thermometer, it should read 165 Degrees. I use this one.

I serve this dish with a green salad and Riced Caulifower with Italian Cheese.