Italian Meatloaf
Adapted from the Seattle Times
Ingredients
2 pounds lean
ground beef
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
5 small garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
Several grindings of black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup tomato juice
½ cup dry red wine
2 cups fresh basil leaves
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained
1 pound smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
5 small garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
Several grindings of black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup tomato juice
½ cup dry red wine
2 cups fresh basil leaves
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained
1 pound smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ground beef, sausage, onion,
garlic, bread crumbs, parsley, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper in a large
bowl. Add eggs, tomato juice and wine. Mix thoroughly.
Lay out a large sheet of waxed paper. Spread the meatloaf mixture
into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle on the paper. Arrange the basil leaves over the
surface. Scatter the sun-dried tomatoes over the basil and arrange ¾ of the
cheese on top.
Using the waxed paper as an aid and starting from one short side,
roll up the meat like a jelly roll. Peel back the paper as you roll. Press on
the meatloaf lightly to seal and place in a jelly-roll pan (a baking sheet with
1-inch sides) or on the bottom of a broiler pan that has been lined with foil.
Bake 1 hour. Place remaining slices of cheese on top and bake 10
more minutes. Serve hot or cold.
Makes 12 to 15 servings.
Notes:
Though the recipe doesn’t specify it, I recommend chopping the
sun-dried tomatoes before putting them in the meatloaf as they can be a bit too
chewy when whole.
Tom made a few changes in the meatloaf he shared with me. He used
Neese’s hot sausage in place of the Italian sausage because he likes it. He was
short on mozzarella, so he supplemented what he said with a bit of Swiss. And
because he didn’t have any red wine or tomato juice on hand, he creatively
substituted a combination of ¼ cup ketchup and ¾ cup champagne.
Note that this recipe calls for fresh bread crumbs, not the dry
ones sold in stores. To make fresh bread crumbs, tear up a few slices of bread
and process in food processor.
