Stuffed Meatloaf

First off, let me acknowledge last weekend was Mother’s Day weekend and I am a very lucky person in my life my wife, my mother, and my mother-in-law in my life.  These three women help me on different levels with many different things.  My wife – my tag team partner in life, the Yin to my Yang, my everything, the woman without whom raising my three girls would be nearly impossible.  My mother – the woman in my life who taught me how a woman should be treated and how to be protective and loving of my own children.  My mother-in-law – the woman who is there for my wife for support and who taught her how encompass both being a strong woman and phenomenal homemaker. 

While I give a nod to all three women, it is my mother-in-law who this post will be predominantly about.  After Lisa and I were married, my mother-in-law wanted took the time to compile several recipes that she tried for her family that were either great recipes they tried or family secrets that have been passed down through generations through word of mouth.  It is the word of mouth recipes that were written down for the first time in many generations that are now being passed on to her daughters and daughter-in-laws.  I am lucky that ours were provided to us several years ago and we have had the opportunity to incorporate these into our menu planning.  Below is a card of one of these recipes that we use for a base of our Stuffed Meatloaf.  Thank you Carol!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Ground Beef

1 Egg

1 cup Bread Crumbs

1/2 cup Milk

3 Tablespoons Heinz 57 Sauce or Ketchup

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 cup Spinach

2 cups Mozzarella cheese

4 – 6 Tablespoons Pesto

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes/Bruschetta

 

Directions:

1) Combine Ground Beef, Egg, Bread Crumbs, Milk, Heinz 57 Sauce (or Ketchup), salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.  Use your hands and make sure you squish all the ingredients together.  Heinz 57 makes it taste more like “steak” where ketchup makes it taste more like a “hamburger”.  There are a lot of items in this recipe that are based on your taste… if you like spinach, add more, if you like Pesto, add more, if you do not like the taste of these ingredients add something you might enjoy better.  Like all recipes need to be, this is merely a guide;

2) Take a piece of wax paper and lay the mixed meat product out in a thin layer approximately 1/2 in thickness.  Remember, you will add the filling to the stuffed meatloaf and then need to roll the meatloaf with the filling inside so too think it will be a meat log… to thin and it will break into minced meat pie;

 

3) Cover the meat with a layer of Pesto.  Again, pesto to taste… if you like pesto add more, if not add less;

4) Add a layer of Mozzarella cheese.  Think of this as the glue that holds the filling in place;

5) Add spinach. Again, spinach to taste.

6) Add tomatoes/bruschetta.  Again, tomatoes/bruschetta to taste. 

7) Carefully start on one side of the meat and roll the meat into a spiral.  Think about a Little Debbie snack cake, but with meat in lieu of sugar;

8) Remove from the wax paper and place on the center of a baking sheet (covered in tin foil to assist with clean up);

9) Bake on 350 degrees for 60 minutes;

10) Once the time is up, remove from the oven and allow it to cool for about 5 – 10 minutes.  This will allow the cheese to setup and when you cut it the slices will stay together!

11) Enjoy!!!