Italian Stuffed Meatloaf

Turns an ordinary weeknight meal into company dinner. Very lean ground beef or poultry is recommended. If fatty meat is used, it will break open during cooking and let most of the cheeses run out. This goes well with bow tie pasta cooked as package directs, tossed with garlic and sautéed red, yellow and green bell pepper and served with a mixture of one jar of chunky garden sauce and one jar of pizza sauce.

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 1 1/2 inch slices

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs lean ground beef or 1 1⁄2 lbs ground chicken or 1 1⁄2 lbs ground turkey
• 1  cup  Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2⁄3 cup evaporated milk
• 1  egg, beaten
• 1 (14 ounce) jar  pizza sauce
• 1⁄4 cup  minced red bell pepper
• 1⁄4 cup  minced onion
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1⁄3 cup  grated parmesan cheese
• 8  ounces  shredded asiago cheese or 8  ounces  sharp monterey jack cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine ground meat or poultry, bread crumbs, and milk in large mixing bowl. Mix or stir by hand until bread crumbs disappear.
3. Add egg, half the pizza sauce, bell pepper, onion, Italian seasoning, black pepper and salt; continue to stir by hand until well mixed.
4. Form meat mixture into a flat ball and place between two 10 x 12 inch parchment sheets; using a rolling pin, roll out in a rectangle about the size of the parchment. Peel off top sheet of parchment. Be sure that meat layer is even and has no holes.
5. . Spread meat to within one inch of edges with Asiago or Monterey Jack cheese; top with chopped spinach and sprinkle with ¼ cup of the Parmesan.
6. Starting at the farthest end, carefully lift parchment and begin rolling the meat inward toward the end closest to you. Continue to lift the parchment and peel it back from the meat rolling as tightly as possibly. Press ends and edges together to seal.
7. Using the parchment to help support the roll, transfer it to an oiled casserole dish with seam on bottom.
8. Bake 1 hour at 350°F Top with remaining pizza sauce and remaining Parmesan; cook additional 15 minutes. Allow loaf to rest 10 minutes before slicing.