Veggie Stuffed Meatloaf | Something New For Dinner
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Veggie Stuffed Meatloaf

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SKILL LEVEL :
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This amazing veggie stuffed meatloaf needs to make it's way into your rotation pronto. But first a note about food photography. Two given truths about food photography. First, the best time to shoot food is during the day with natural light. Second, some foods, like meatloaf ,are inherently ugly. It takes time, props and some food styling to make them look appetizing. I shot this recipe in the evening after a long day and didn't put much effort into it. Rest assured, I will go back and reshoot and do a better job. In the meantime, I fooled around with Apple Playtime and came up with the photo below. They did a great job with the lighting and food styling, but alas, it is even more unappetizing than my photos. Soooo...AI has a ways to go before it will replace me or my camera, but I thought you would get a kick out of it.
Veggie Stuffed Meatloaf | Something New For dinner
Here is what sparked this new recipe:  We went to dinner with friends the other night and the restaurant's special was meatloaf. Our friend, let's call him Gary, immediately went on a tirade as to how bad meatloaf is, that his mom used to make it as an economical dinner and it was always dry and tough as a shoe.
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My memories of meatloaf are much different. I used to make meatloaf in high school for my family as well as when my kids were little. I had a secret trick for sneaking in more veggies, which I will share with you later.

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Gary's meatloaf comments got me thinking. So I dug in and decided to make a fabulous meat loaf that even he would love. I am happy to say, I 100% succeeded. This meat loaf is tender and flavorful. I snuck in some delicious vegetables to make it a little healthier. It is comfort food at its finest, especially served on a bed of mashed potatoes. Here are the techniques I used:

Mix of Ground Beef and Ground Pork

First of all, use high quality ground beef and pork, as the quality of the meat impacts the flavor. Ground pork is typically higher in fat content than beef, which adds juiciness and tenderness to meatloaf. I use a 50-50 mix of ground beef and pork for this meatloaf.

Homemade Bread Crumbs Soaked in Milk

Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner Taking a page from the technique I use to make tender meatballs, I soak homemade bread crumbs in milk before incorporating them into the meatloaf mixture. The milk-soaked bread crumbs absorb the meat juices and keep the meatloaf from drying out as it cooks. You can easily make your own breadcrumbs by whirling a couple slices of sourdough in a food processor. Day-old or two day-old bread works great. Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner

Sauté Your Aromatics

Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner Some meatloaf recipes will instruct you to mix raw onions and garlic into the meat loaf. You get better flavor if you briefly sauté the aromatics in a little olive oil before mixing with the meat.

Gently Mix by Hand

Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner Gently mix your ground meat, milk-soaked bread crumbs, eggs, aromatics and flavorings in a bowl by hand, mixing only until the ingredients have been combined. Over mixing will result in a tougher meatloaf. Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner

Hand Build Your Meatloaf and Cook it On a Sheet Pan, Not in a Loaf Pan

I cook my meatloaf on a parchment-lined sheet pan, shaping the meatloaf by hand. When you cook it in a loaf pan, the excess juices have no where to go and the sides of the meatloaf do not caramelize and develop a nice crust. Pan-cooked meatloaves are also harder to cut and serve. Cover your sheet pan with a sheet of parchment paper to make it easier for the dishwasher.

Use Your Food Processor

Make quick work of mincing your garlic and chopping your onion with a food processor. Peel the garlic and whirl it in the food processor until finely minced. Peel and quarter your onions and add to the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, taking care you do not over-process. Over processed onions turn into onion juice. Not good.
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This is my secret to chopping onions and garlic for any recipe. By processing the garlic first, you can finely mince it and then add the onion and pulse until you get a larger size dice for the onions. Then by cooking the garlic and the onions together you avoid scorching the garlic. I have never understood why so many recipes call for sautéeing the garlic first and then adding onions. This process nearly always ends up with scorched, bitter garlic. By cooking them together, the garlic cooks evenly with the onions without burning.

Layer With Vegetables and Cheese

Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner I divide the seasoned meat into two two balls and flatten the first ball into an oval on the sheet pan. I then layer well-drained frozen spinach, sautéed mushrooms and some cheddar cheese on top of the base meat layer. I use the second ball of meat to create a top for the meat loaf. Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner

Make a Glaze For the Top

Veggie stuffed meatloaf | Something New For Dinner Glaze the meatloaf half way through the cooking process with a glaze of ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar and smoked Spanish paprika.

Special Products and Ingredients

Note: SNFD is an Amazon affiliate and we make a small commission when you purchase through our links.

Smoked Spanish Paprika

Smoked Spanish paprika | Something New For Dinner I use smoked Spanish paprika in the meatloaf glaze. It is an incredible spice that adds flavor and smokiness to many dishes -- eggs, potatoes, avocado toast, hummus, marinades and more. My advice? Throw out your traditional, flavorless paprika and buy a can of this Spanish paprika. If you follow me, you know I have said this many times.

Parchment Paper Sheets

I discovered these pre-cut parchment paper sheets and have never looked back. They are so easy to use. I keep them in the cupboard where I store my sheet pans so I never forget to line them. It makes life much easier for the dishwasher.

More Classic Comforting Recipes to Cook Now

After you have cooked this stuffed meatloaf, here are more classic comfort food recipes to add to your rotation. Print

Veggie Stuffed Meatloaf

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This Veggie Stuffed Meatloaf is comfort food at its finest. The meatloaf is tender, moist, flavorful and stuffed with spinach, sautéed mushrooms and sharp cheddar cheese. Serve over mashed potatoes for the comfort meal of your dreams.

  • Author: Kim Pawell
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 80 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x
  • Cuisine: New American

Ingredients

Scale

For the bread crumbs:

  • 23 slices of sourdough bread, preferably a day or two old
  • 2/3 cup milk

For the veggie and cheese stuffing:

  • 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and moisture squeezed out
  • 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
  • Splash of olive oil
  • 1/2 t garlic powder
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 4 ounces cheddar cheese, sliced

For the meatloaf mixture:

  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 pound ground beef, 15% fat
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • A handful of parsley, chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the glaze:

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 3 T brown sugar
  • 1 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 t apple cider vinegar
  • 1 t smoked Spanish paprika

Instructions

  1. Pulse the bread slices in a food processor, until you have fine breadcrumbs. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a small bowl and add the milk. Stir to combine and set aside.

For the veggie and cheese stuffing:

  1. Thaw the frozen spinach and place it in a colander. Using a clean dish towel or paper towels, press the spinach until most of the moisture is removed. Set aside.
  2. Add a healthy splash of olive oil to a skillet and heat on medium. Add sliced mushrooms, garlic powder, salt and pepper and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a small bowl.
  3. Set spinach, mushrooms and cheese aside until ready to stuff meatloaf.

For the meatloaf mixture:

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Put the garlic cloves in a food processor and whirl until finely minced. Add the onions quarters and pulse until the onion is finely chopped.
  3. Add another splash of olive oil to the same pan you cooked the mushrooms in. Heat to medium and add the garlic onion mixture, salt and pepper. Sauté until tender and just starting to color, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  4. Crumble the ground pork and beef into a large bowl. Add eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, parsley, kosher salt, pepper, breadcrumb mixture and cooled onions and garlic. Gently mix with your hands to incorporate all the ingredients. Do not over mix.
  5. Line a sheet pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Separate the meat mixture and form into two balls. Flatten one of the balls into an oblong form on the sheet pan, about 1 to 1 1/2″ thick.
  6. Spread the spinach over the top of the oblong, staying about 1″ inside the edge of the oval.
  7. Layer the sauteed mushrooms over the spinach and top the mushrooms with slices of cheese.
  8. Form another flattened oval with the second ball of meat mixture and place it over the cheese mixture. Using your fingers, seal the bottom and top meat layers together.
  9. Place the meatloaf sheet pan on a rack in the middle of the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes.

For the glaze:

  1. In a small bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and smoked Spanish paprika. Stir and set aside.
  2. When the meatloaf has been in the oven for 30 minutes, pull it out and brush the top of the meatloaf with the glaze. Return to the oven for another 25 to 30 minutes until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve and prepare to me amazed.

Notes

Kim’s food processor terminology:

Whirl — means hold your finger on the start or on button and allow the food processor blade to continually whirl.

Pulse — means to pulse your finger on and off the on button so that the food is processed in short bursts.

 
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