If you think meat loaf is necessarily a dry slab of cardboard, think again. This recipe comes from Anya Fernald, the founder of the food-activist nonprofit Live Culture. It’s her favorite recipe for this classic diner dish.

Steps

1. Let the ground beef come to room temperature (if frozen, you’ll need to let it sit out for 24 hours).
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
3. Grind the bread into powder, then add the water, soffritto, and herbes de Provence. Add the bread mixture to the beef, then add the eggs, salt, and pepper.
4. Form the mixture into a long log, about the length of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place the log in the the pan, then cut a slit down the top, like for a loaf of bread.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or so, until the internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer has reached at least 120 degrees.
6. Serve in slices, with gravy and mashed potatoes or with ketchup and pickles. Add big slices of fresh tomatoes, if available.