Sicilian Stuffed Meatloaf

Such a savory delight...this meatloaf is stuffed with cheese and sliced prosciutto or ham to make an amazing meal for your dinner guests or family! Use your choice of lean ground beef or turkey and roll it to create this simple, wonderfully tasty treat. Can be prepared gluten free too!

Stuffed Sicilian Meatloaf

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 1⁄2 pound ground lean meat, beef or turkey
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
3⁄4 cup panko bread crumbs (can use gluten-free)
1 cup tomato or pasta sauce, divided
4 – 5 slices of prosciutto or smoked deli ham
8 slices part- skim mozzarella cheese or 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
Olive oil

Equipment needed:

Cutting board
Chef knife
Medium mixing bowl
Dry measuring cups
Waxed paper, plastic wrap or parchment paper
13 x 9-inch baking pan

I have been making this stuffed meatloaf for years for my family. One of my kids favorites too! Found it scratched on an old recipe card in my recipe basket...not even sure where I got it, but it’s so good! It has been one of my ‘go to’ recipes for company too, as it looks so impressive for your guests. Can be made ahead and bopped in the oven an hour or so before serving time. Grab the ingredients and let’s get cooking!

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Making this recipe is so simple, as you literally chop your onions and garlic and throw everything together! I chop my onions rather fine so they meld into the meat mixture without big chunks. Mince the garlic and add these veggies with all the seasonings, plus the egg to the ground meat. I have made this meatloaf using ground turkey too, but today I’m using lean ground round and turkey. This recipe is relatively low in fat too, depending on your choice of meat. Get your hands going and thoroughly mix all the ingredients well. If you’d rather not use your hands, a stand-up mixer on low will do the trick too!

Next, add the bread crumbs and 1⁄2 cup of the tomato sauce to the meat mixture. Continue combining the ingredients until the bread crumbs are no longer visible and you have a homogenous mixture, as shown above.

Now to do the stuffing! Begin by tearing off a piece of waxed paper (or plastic wrap/ parchment paper) about a foot long. Lay this out on a flat surface and place the ball of meat mixture in the center. Reserve a couple golf sized balls of meat mixture for later. Gently press the ball of meat out into a rectangle about 10 inches long, 6 – 8 inches wide and 1-inch thick. Make sure it’s not too thin so the meat doesn’t fall apart when you roll it up. Arrange the prosciutto or ham over the top of the rectangle of meat and then the mozzarella cheese, overlapping slices a bit if necessary.

Rolling the meat up is the next step. Carefully fold over the rectangle of meat using the waxed paper to roll and compress the meat. Continue rolling and pealing back the paper to create a nice log of meat, adjusting the filling as you go. Pack the meat together, closing up any gaps where you can see the ham or cheese and crimp the ends together. Push the reserved balls at the ends and crimp to close. Any holes will allow more cheese to ooze out during the baking process, so be diligent to compress it together before panning.

Prep your 13 x 9-inch baking by drizzling or spraying a bit of olive oil on the bottom. Place the meatloaf in the center and spoon the remaining 1⁄2 cup of tomato sauce on top. Slice the remaining cheese. Place slices at a diagonal and arrange across top of tomato sauce, as shown. Place meatloaf into preheated 350 F oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. (A meat thermometer can be used to ensure doneness and register 165 F.) I usually wait until the cheese starts to melt and bubble, and the cheese on top is golden brown... signals the center is done enough.

Wasn’t that easy... doesn’t it look so yummy and smell divine? Serve it with your pasta and sauce of choice or mashed potatoes! Use my Perfect Pesto sauce over linguine or garlic smashed potatoes... Enjoy!