Sicilian Stuffed Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a very easy and versatile dish that has been around for centuries. It is the only dish I can think of that surrounds ground meat. And all of the other ingredients are a total variety of flavors that blend together that are so different from one another. Meatloaf can include nuts, veggies, cheese, wine, different grains, bacon, eggs or other dairy products. It’s amazing the different varieties and flavors of meatloaf that are out there. And one thing I love about meatloaf is that this dish survived through the depression. It was a way that people could eat a warm comfort food that could be made inexpensive by combining cuts of meat with various fillers that were available at that time. And now, with a plethora of ingredients that are available to us at all times, meatloaf still survives. And I love that. We grew up on meatloaf and is definitely a comfort food in my book!

This version of meatloaf has a Sicilian/ Italian flare to it. And it’s actually a roll-up. So it’s a meatloaf stuffed with turkey bacon, cheese and spinach. This is not the flavor of meatloaf I grew up on, but it is one of our favorites and can be one of yours too.

This is the meatloaf on the parchment paper after I mixed it up with my hands. I used too much onion in my recipe and didn’t dice them enough. I learned the hard way because it was really difficult to roll-up.

The rolled meatloaf with the turkey bacon, raw cheese and spinach and it’s ready to be rolled up

All rolled up and ready to put in the oven. Use the parchment paper to help you roll the meat up. It will be MUCH more difficult and nearly impossible if you only use your hands. Now it’s ready to go in the oven.

The meatloaf fresh out of the oven. Look at how browned the meat is and the cheese that has melted out through the bottom. I let it sit for 10-15 minutes to let the juices set in the meat and makes it easier to slice.

Look how awesome the meatloaf looks rolled up!!

Ingredients

1 lb grass-fed ground beef

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 Tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon pink salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup baby spinach leaves

6 slices free-range turkey bacon, cooked

8 slices raw cheddar cheese or crumbled chevre goat cheese

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

• Add beef and next 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix ingredients together with your hands (or a spatula if you’re more comfortable). Mix until combined but be careful not to overmix
• Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the meat in the middle of it
• Flatten out meat with your hands into a thin layer: about 1/3 inch thick. Cover meat with turkey bacon, cheese and spinach and then roll the meat, using the parchment paper to help roll up into a large loaf
• Try to keep all of the filling stuffed into the loaf when you roll it up. With mine I lost a few pieces of spinach but kept the bacon and cheese stuffed inside
• Cook meatloaf 35 minutes and let sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting it into slices. That will allow the juices to go back into the meat for more flavor and it will also be easier to slice
• Slice with a serrated knife and serve