Thursday, November 19, 2009

My Kind of Meatloaf

I do not like ground beef. I'm pretty sure it's the smell of the beef while it's cooking. It's not that I don't like beef or even hamburgers, it's just the main ingredient that I don't like. After years of making Rob's favorite meal (meatloaf), I decided to improvise a little and see if we all liked it a little better (everyone but Rob liked it much better). I added half ground turkey, lots of veggies, and cheeses. The result is my kind of meatloaf: full of veggies and flavor to mask the ground beef. I still make Rob's meatloaf, I just usually make both kinds to satisfy everyone.

Italian-Style Meatloaf
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 small zucchini
10 small button mushrooms
1/2 red pepper
1 small onion, chopped coarsely
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 bag of spinach, frozen, completely thawed and drained
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
3/4 jar of marinara sauce (I use Barilla)

1. In a large saute pan, brown veggies in olive oil (zucchini, mushrooms, onion, garlic, pepper). The vegetables should be cut into similarly sized pieces to ensure even cooking time. Remove from heat and set aside when browned.
2. Mix meats, spinach, parmesan, bread crumbs, and eggs until well blended. Add veggies.
3. Put half of meat and veggie mixture on bottom of large loaf pan. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella and half of the marinara sauce and repeat the procedure.
4. Cover the loaf with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until cooked through and browned on top (at least 25 more minutes).

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