Italian-Style Meatloaf

It's meat. It's a loaf. It's a loaf of meat. Is there really anything else to say?

This is a meal I make probably about once a year. It's a random craving I get on occasion--or, rather, I crave sandwiches made from the leftovers! Having grown up with meatloaf that was nothing more than ground beef and ketchup, I had no basis for what became my version. In fact, I just assumed I hated all meatloaf until my mid-twenties when I decided to tackle the loaf-o'-meat on request.

I jam as many veggies as I can into this hunk of cow, and have even substituted a couple of cans of beans for half the beef. Because there is so much veg chopping involved in the meatloaf, I usually serve it with a simple salad tossed with vinegar and some thin toasted slices of beer bread.

Don't forget to save some for sandwiches the next day....a little garlic aoili and sliced tomato, and you'll wonder why you let your family eat so much for dinner the night before!

Italian-Style Meatloaf

Ingredients:

3/4 c Romano cheese, shredded

1 15oz can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, blended

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb ground Italian sausage

1 egg

1/2 c yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 c bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 zucchini, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs anchovie paste

1 tbs fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 tbs fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

1 c Italian style bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Set aside 1/4 cup of the cheese and half of the blended tomatoes for later.

Combine the rest of the cheese and tomatoes with the remaining ingredients until well-combined. Place in a greased 9" loaf pan and back, uncovered, for one hour. After one hour, top with reserved tomato puree and cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 8.