BBQ Meatloaf & Carmelized Onion Pizza Dinner

The Game Plan

• Breakfast - Breakfast cookies (preferably made the day before or from the freezer), bananas
• Lunch - Sandwiches, yogurt, grapes
• Dinner - BBQ Meatloaf & Carmelized Onion Pizza, carrots with dill butter
• Snack - Cheese & crackers

The Plan In Action
*This plan takes advantage of some freezer cooking or earlier preparation. It's perfect for a relaxing Sunday meal. However, it also requires some last minute prep work.

• 8:00am - Serve breakfast. While eating breakfast, cut up pre-made meatloaf or meatballs. I used some meatloaf cups (recipe to follow) that I had in the freezer. If you don't have any extra or leftover meatloaf or meatballs on hand, brown 1 lb. of ground beef. Store in refrigerator.
  
• 8:30am - Make barbecue sauce. Combine 1 c. ketchup (or, in a pinch like I was, 1 can tomato paste, 1 can water, 1 t. apple cider vinegar and 1/2 t. salt), 2 T. worchestschire sauce, 2 T. brown sugar, 1 t. each; garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes. Stir until well blended, cover, and put in refrigerator.
  
• 8:40am - Slice one large yellow onion and heat 2 T. butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion to skillet. Stir in 2 t. honey. Reduce heat to medium-low and let cook for 20 minutes, stirring often.
  
• 8:50 - While onions cook, shred 2 c. cheddar cheese, or skip this step if using preshredded cheese.
• 9:10am - Store onions and cheese in the refrigerator.
• 12:30pm - Make & eat lunch
• 3:30pm - Make pizza dough. Dissolve 2 t. yeast in 1 c. warm water for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 T. honey, 3 T. olive oil and 1/2 t. salt. Add about 3 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until dough is no longer sticky. (This can be done in a stand mixer also.) Knead for about 5 minutes.
• 3:45pm - Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
• 4:15pm - Punch dough down. Knead back into a ball and return to bowl. Cover and let rise again for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• 5:15pm - Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• 5:30pm - Roll out dough into a circle and place on a pizza stone or tray, or press onto a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Prebake crust at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
• 5:40pm - Cover crust with sauce, caramelized onions, meatloaf pieces and shredded cheese. Place back in oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
  
• 5:45pm - Bring 2 cups of water and 1/2 lb. baby carrots or sliced carrots to a boil. Cover and remove from heat for 10 minutes.
• 5:55pm - Check pizza and remove from oven if done. Drain carrots and return to pan. Stir in 2 T. butter and 1 T. dill weed. Stir until butter is melted.
• 6:00pm - Slice pizza and serve with carrots.

BBQ Meatloaf & Caramelized Onion Pizza
For Pizza Dough

• 1 c. warm water
  
• 2 T. yeast
• 2 T. honey
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 1/2 c. flour

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water for 5 minutes. Stir in honey, olive oil and salt. Add the flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until dough is no longer sticky. (This can be done in a stand mixer also.) Knead for about 5 minutes.
2. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch down dough, knead 1 minute, recover in greased bowl and let rise 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
3. Roll out pizza crust and place on a pizza stone, or press onto a cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Prebake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool and top with pizza toppings.

For Pizza Toppings -
--BBQ Sauce

• 1 c. ketchup (or, in a pinch like I was, 1 can tomato paste, 1 can water, 1 t. apple cider vinegar and 1/2 t. salt)
• 2 T. worchestschire sauce
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 t. each; garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, black pepper
• 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1. Stir all ingredients together until combined.

--Caramelized Onions

• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  
• 2 T. butter
• 2 t. honey

1. Melt butter in a skillet. Add onions and honey. Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until onions are tender and caramelized.

--6 meatloaf cups, leftover meatloaf or meatballs, cut into cubes

--2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

To put the pizza together:
1. Spread BBQ sauce over pizza crust. Top with caramelized onions.
2. Cover onions and sauce with chopped meatloaf.
3. Cover all with shredded cheese.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, until crust is done and cheese is melted.

For just the pizza recipe, go here.

Check out lots more recipes over at Grocery Cart Challenge.