Recipe for ITALIAN MEATLOAF
ITALIAN MEATLOAF is grandma’s classic recipe for Sunday lunches or holidays that will make everyone happy.
A tasty second course prepared with minced meat and stuffed with spinach, cooked ham, cheese and hard-boiled eggs, cooked in the oven to form a crunchy surface.
The meatloaf dough is the classic one for Italian meatballs. After mixing the ingredients, form a rectangle and fill it.
My grandmother’s recipe stuffed meatloaf with spinach, cooked ham, provolone and hard-boiled eggs but you can change the mix of minced meat or filling with raw ham, speck, bacon, scamorza or the ingredients you already have.
A simple and quick recipe that I will explain in every step without any particular difficulty, just prepare all the ingredients in advance.
Follow instructions with photos of each step and create Italian meatloaf, in a short time you will prepare a main dish with a crunchy crust, soft inside and a stringy heart that does not break during cooking and retains a perfect shape.
A perfect recipe also for using leftover.
To obtain a meatloaf that does not break during cooking and retains a perfect shape, I recommend wrapping it in baking paper. In this way the heat spreads evenly without creating cracks. For the last few minutes of cooking, remove the baking paper and finish cooking to create an irresistible golden crust on the outside.
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Ingredients
for the meatloaf dough
for the meatloaf filling
- Power 467,88 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 7,60 (g) of which sugars 0,53 (g)
- Proteins 25,81 (g)
- Fat 36,53 (g) of which saturated 14,45 (g)of which unsaturated 19,68 (g)
- Fibers 0,80 (g)
- Sodium 1.662,56 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Tools
Steps
Preparing the ingredients for the filling
Boil eggs. Place in a pan with cold water and cook for 7 minutes once the water starts to boil. Remove from the stove and cool under cold water. Peel eggs being careful not to break them.
Cook the spinach. Wash spinach and cook in a pan with lightly salted water for about 15 minutes. Once cooked spinach, drain to remove excess water. Soak breadcrumbs in milk.
Prepare meatloaf dough
Place minced meat in a bowl together with 1 whole egg, grated parmesan, a pinch of pepper, salt and breadcrumbs soaked in milk. Stir with a spoon to mix all the ingredients.
Composition MEATLOAF
Place a sheet of baking paper on a work surface, pour the minced meat mixture over it and shape it into a rectangle.
Spread the slices of cooked ham on top and form the first layer.
Place a second layer of boiled spinach on top of the ham.
The third state is composed of thin slices of cheese. Leave a space in the center where you will place the hard-boiled eggs.
Place the hard-boiled eggs in the central space in a row along the longest side of the meat loaf.
Using the baking paper, roll up the meatloaf and seal the paper, closing the ends as if it were candy.
Cooking MEATLOAF
Turn the oven on to 356 F (180 C). Place the meatloaf in a pan and when the oven is ready cook it (without removing baking paper) for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, eliminate baking paper (being careful not to burn yourself!).
Place back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes. The surface of Italian Meatloaf must be golden. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before cutting into slices.
STORAGE
Italian meatloaf may be frozen before cooking. To freeze, prepare meatloaf per instructions. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze.
Once cooked, the STUFFED MEATLOAF can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of two days closed in an airtight container.
NOTE
For a tastier taste you can replace cooked ham with other cured meats such as bacon or raw ham.
Instead of spinach you can also use chard.
Baking time may slightly vary, depending on the shape and thickness of the meatloaf.
To make it even more delicious, roll the meatloaf in bacon before putting it in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the best meat for meatloaf?
You can use ground beef that is 50% lean beef and 50% pork, or just one type. Don’t worry about using lean meat the rest of the ingredients will keep your meatloaf moist and juicy. Avoid super lean meats.
Varied doses for servings