Italian Style Meatloaf

Last night was meatloaf night, but it was time to do something different. I really like the A-1 bleu cheese meatloaf that I've written about before, but I have to keep things new, fresh and interesting. This one was inspired by Matt. He loves Italian sausage, so I thought it would be fun to make a meatloaf that included that in it. Thus, a new meatloaf recipe was born. And as soon as Matt took a bite, he said "You have to put this on your blog." Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures as I was making the meatloaf, so I only have one picture of the finished product. But not to worry, I'm sure I will be making this one again and when I do, I will update this post with more pictures. The flavor of this meatloaf was surprising. I did a combination of meats and I thought both flavors would come through, but actually they meshed well together and created a wonderfully rich sausage-y taste. That, combined with the other ingredients made for a very flavorful, juicy meatloaf. Here's what I did...

-1/2 lb of ground beef (I use 80/20 because it keeps the meatloaf moist.)
-3 Italian sausage links, casings removed (I used sweet, but use whatever flavor you like.)
-4 large crimini mushrooms, chopped (also called baby bellas)
-1/2 of a medium sweet onion, chopped 
-1/2 cup of grated Parmesan (the real stuff!)
-a heavy splash of Worcestershire sauce
-a small handful of parsley, finely chopped
-3/4 cup of plain breadcrumbs (you can start with a little less and add more as needed)
-1 egg, beaten
-1/2 TBS of dried basil (rub the dried herbs in your palm to enhance the flavor)
-1 tsp of dried oregano
-Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste (If you're not into heat, just put a light sprinkle of the red pepper flakes, but definitely add it because it adds such a great depth of the flavor to the meatloaf.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Saute the mushrooms and onions in a small saute pan over medium heat with a 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil until softened. Once the mushrooms and onions are soft, add a splash of Worcestershire to the pan and let it cook out. (Keep your head back from the pan when you add the Worcestershire otherwise you'll end up choking on the fumes!) Remove the pan from the heat and let the veggies cool for a few minutes. In a large mixing bowl, add the meats and spices. (I add the spices directly on top of the meat to ensure the meat is seasoned well.) Add the remaining ingredients including another splash of Worcestershire and the mushrooms and onions. Mix with yours hands until all of the ingredients are just combined. (Try not to overmix because that can make the meatloaf tough.) Form into a loaf and place into a 9x5 inch loaf pan OR something I've been thinking about doing is making individual sized loaves and cooking them on a cookie sheet. There are a couple of great reasons to do it this way instead of the large loaf. 1.) They will cook faster since they are smaller and 2.) For me, the crusty top of the meatloaf is the best part, which is why I always want the end piece. With these individual loaves everyone gets more of that tasty crust. The large loaf will end up cooking for about 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes and the individual loaves about 25-35 minutes (depending on size). Be sure to check the internal temperature, which should read 165 degrees. You MUST cook this meatloaf all the way through since it has pork in it. When the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees, let it stand for about 5 to 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute throughout the meatloaf. Serve with mashed potatoes and a nice salad or roasted asparagus.

This meatloaf was full flavored and delicious. There's nothing I would have changed about the flavors of this meatloaf. It has everything you could ask for...beef, pork, the salty cheese flavor, the earthy mushrooms and herbs and a little heat in the background. This, served with a side of mashed potatoes is a little slice of heaven. Now that I've told you about the meatloaf, the potatoes should definitely be mentioned. So, for Christmas I got a ricer, which is basically a strainer that you push food through to create a super smooth texture. I highly recommend investing in one of these. You will never get smoother potatoes with anything else. They were light and fluffy, the perfect "mashed" potato. I added just a little butter, a splash of chicken stock and some black pepper. I could have eaten the entire bowl myself! 

Click on the link below to see what a ricer looks like!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-Potato-Ricer/dp/B00004OCJQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298481095&sr=8-1



I'm actually starting to really enjoy meatloaf. I don't know why I had such an aversion to it. I like challenging myself to come up with new flavors and different styles. I've already written another one that uses ground turkey for a healthier version. I plan on trying that one next week. I hope you enjoy this new meatloaf recipe and I'd love to hear your favorite meatloaf recipe!