Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Rolled Meatloaf

Submitted by Redsie

"Fancy meatloaf! Great to serve when you have company! And it's delicious! Another great recipe from R. Reisman."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 17
• Yields: 1 meatloaf
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• MEATLOAF

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1⁄4 cup seasoned dry bread crumb
• 1⁄4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1⁄4 cup finely diced green onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper

• FILLING

• 1 cup diced onion
• 1⁄3 cup thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons crushed garlic
• 2⁄3 cup smooth 5% fat ricotta cheese
• 1 ounce light cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

• TOPPING

• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F Spray an 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. To make meatloaf: In a bowl, mix all meatloaf ingredients. On a 12-inch square piece of waxed paper, pat out mixture into an 8-inch square.
3. To make filling: In a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook onions over medium heat for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in spinach and garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat; add cheeses, stirring until combined. Spread over meatloaf. Using the waxed paper as a guide, roll up the meatloaf; carefully place in loaf pan seam side down. Spread barbecue sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before carefully inverting onto a serving platter. Slice.

Reviews

[berry271]

This was the best meatloaf I have ever had! It was actually easier to prepare than I had expected. Rolling it was pretty easy, using the wax paper. The barbecue sauce is not overpowering, as I had thought it might be. Excellent recipe, I highly recommend it. Also made extra fancy meatloaf sandwiches from the leftovers.

 

[dgiella]

This was a great twist on meatloaf. I've tried this recipe with both ground turkey and ground beef. The turkey works well, but the beef makes for a much tastier dish. The filling is absolutely delicious. This recipe is a favorite in our home.

 

[LilKiwiChicken]

I haven't made meatloaf in years, but this is far better than anything I or my mum have ever made. I used light BBQ sauce & the flavour was great. I think if I had used really strong BBQ sauce it would have overpowered the flavours of the ricotta & spinach. It was a bit more time consuming to make than normal meatloaf and I thought it was a bit fiddly to roll it up, but is worth the extra effort. It is important to leave this to rest so when sliced it looks nice on the plate (and doesn't fall apart). I don't know what the leftovers were like the next day because there weren't any! Thanks for such a great recipe.