1 1/2 Pounds Of 85% Ground Beef

A Beaten Egg

Three Slices Of Day Old Italian Bread

Two Cups Of Panko Bread Crumbs

1/4 Cup Of Finely Diced Celery

3/4 Cup Of Finely Diced Spanish Onion

3/4 Cup Of Finely Diced Green Bell Pepper

Two Minced Garlic Cloves

A Cup Of Tomato Sauce

A Tablespoon Of Hot Pepper Sauce (Add More If You Like Hot And Spicy)

1/2 Cup Of Cold Water

Three Teaspoons Of Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper

A Tablespoon Of Olive Oil

Add the ground beef to a mixing bowl. Season the ground beef with a teaspoon of sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Into a saute pan, add the olive oil, the celery, the onion, the green bell pepper, the garlic, a teaspoon of sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Cook while stirring frequently on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the heat.

To the mixing bowl with the ground beef, add the bread crumbs, the cooked vegetables, the water, the tomato sauce and the hot sauce. Using your hands, mix well. Add the beaten egg and mix until the egg is well incorporated throughout the meat loaf mixture. With your hands, form the meat mixture into a loaf about a foot long, 3 inches deep and 5 inches wide. The meat loaf does not have to have these exact dimensions.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the three slices of bread in the middle of a sheet pan.  Set the formed meat loaf directly on top of the bread slices. By utilizing the bread slices in this manner, all of the fat of the meat let out during the cooking process will be absorbed by the bread instead of being released onto the sheet pan.

Bake in the oven for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Remove the bread slices from the bottom of the meat loaf before cutting.