It’s Mozzarella Meatloaf Friday

OK, I’ll be straight up with you – I DO NOT like meatloaf.  And, in the interest of full disclosure, I have not eaten beef in six or seven years.  But as I posted on Wednesday, I promised to try whatever meal my cousin, Army Captain Jonathan Murphy, requested.

So did I eat beef?  Not exactly.  I opted for buffalo as the “meat” for the loaf.  And since I am deficient in meat cooking skills, and my husband is not, he made the entrée and I stuck to preparing the accompanying side dishes.

Since we have never before had cooked mozzarella meatloaf, I found a recipe from allrecipes.com which my husband decided to modify a bit.  The full recipe along with husband’s modifications can be found at the end of this post.

Here is what we did:

In this photo the meat, tomato sauce, spices, egg, and bread crumbs are ready to be mixed.

Below is the meat mixed and covered with the mozzarella, tomato sauce, mushroom and onion filling.  My husband is starting to roll it up using wax paper.

And here it is after baking in the oven.

Meatloaf is not pretty.

And the sides?  Mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.  As you can see, I also threw in a cold beverage because I’m a very nice cousin. 

So did I like the meatloaf?  Umm, it had good flavor, but I’m just not into loaves of meat.  However, my brother and husband did enjoy it, especially the mozzarella and mushroom filling.  So if you need to prepare a manly meal, I think this is a good choice.

Cheers to you, Jonathan!

Here is the Mozzarella Meatloaf recipe from allrecipies.com:

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon instant minced onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon leaf oregano
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

Directions

In large bowl, combine beef, crumbs, egg, onion, salt and oregano. Stir in 3/4 cup tomato sauce; set aside. Cut 2 pieces of waxed paper 15 inches long. Place meat mixture in center of one rectangle; cover with second rectangle. Using a rolling pin, press meat into a 13-in. x 9-in. rectangle. Remove top sheet of wax paper. Sprinkle meat with cheese and mushrooms; top with remaining tomato sauce. Roll up meat, jelly-roll fashion, starting at narrow end; use wax paper to help. Place meat into non-stick 9-1/4-in. x 5-1/2 in. x 2-3/4-in. bread pan with seam side down and ends of loaf sealed securely. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Drain off any fat that has accumulated; return to oven for 30 additional minutes.

And here are my husband’s modifications to the recipe:

Replace canned mushrooms with fresh mushrooms sautéed with onion and butter. 
Omit instant minced onion.
Add 1 clove garlic.

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