stuffed meat loaf w/spinach tomatoes & mozzarella
I created this recipe to go with a Cheesy Supper Potato dish I made on yesterday. I had a pound of Baby Spinach that I did not want to spoil, & I wanted to add color & flavor to the spinach so I used diced tomatoes from the pantry, & I had Fresh Mozzarella left over from a previous dish, so that is how this dish was created. I decided to wrap it in bacon to add extra flavor & a crispy texture on top. Healthy, colorful & flavorful all in one. It doesn't get any better. I served it with buttered Carrots in Agave Nectar, along with the cheesy potatoes. Hubby loved bacon on the meat loaf.
prep time
55 Min
cook time
1 Hr 25 Min
method
Bake
yield
6-8 OR MORE DEPENDING ON PORTION SIZE
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ground chuck
- 2 packages onion soup mix
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14-15 oz size) drained
- - evaporated milk(enough to make 1 cup when mixed with onion soup mix
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 pound fresh baby leaf spinach
- 1 tablespoon heaping full butter
- 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella
- 8 slices hickory smoked bacon
- HEINZ CATSUP GLAZE
- 1/2-2/3 cup heinz catsup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar (or decorating sugar crystals)
How To Make stuffed meat loaf w/spinach tomatoes & mozzarella
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Step 1Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Add 1 tablespoon each butter & oil to a large pot or skillet, and leave on stove top till needed.
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Step 2Drain 1 can of diced tomatoes of most of the liquid, but leave some so it can help steam the spinach when added to the skillet.
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Step 3Heat oil and butter in skillet over medium high heat.
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Step 4Add slightly drained tomatoes to skillet
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Step 5Then add spinach to skillet and stir to mix.
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Step 6Cover with lid, and allow steam to accumulate, so spinach can wilt down.
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Step 7It should look like this when wilted.
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Step 8Remove skillet from heat and add spinach mixture to a strainer, and drain as much excess liquid as possible, allow to sit and continue to drain as it cools down, while you prepare the ground beef.
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Step 9Add the ground beef to a large bowl.
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Step 10Add Panko bread crumbs, eggs, chopped onion and cumin to ground beef.
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Step 11Empty both packages of onion soup mix into a 2 cup measure.
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Step 12Then add enough evaporated milk to make 1 cup. Stir to blend.
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Step 13Pour over ground beef mixture. Stir gently to mix together.
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Step 14Line a long shallow pan with a double layer of aluminum foil. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Add the meat loaf to the center of pan, then pat down shaping as close to a rectangle as you can. PRESS THE CENTER OF THE MEAT DOWN LOWER THAN THE OUTER EDGE, CREATING A SLIGHT WELL, TO HOLD THE SPINACH MIXTURE.
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Step 15NOW SQUEEZE OUT most OF THE LIQUID from the spinach and tomato mixture . Add to the well in the center of the meat.
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Step 16Top the spinach with the fresh mozzarella cheese slices.
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Step 17Now using the outer edge of the foil, lift foil UP AND OVER TO THE CENTER OF THE CHEESE AS POSSIBLE, THEN LIFT THE OPPOSITE SIDE AND DO THE SAME THING. Bring both ends up to meet the sides then gently press the meat together till all of the cheese is completely cover in the meat layer. Shape into a loaf as much as possible.
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Step 18Now cover the loaf with the slices of smoked bacon. Place pan in center of oven in preheated 375 degrees F. oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Then REDUCE OVEN TO 350 DEGREES F. AND CONTINUE TO BAKE FOR 40 MINUTES.
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Step 19After the 40 minutes has elapsed brush the top of the meat loaf with Heinz catsup, and sprinkle the raw sugar over the top of the catsup, return to oven and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes.
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Step 20Remove from oven and allow to sit and cool about 10 minutes before slicing to serve.
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Step 21Slice and serve, I used a spatula to lift the slices from the pan. Serve with you favorite side items. Enjoy
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!
Discover More
Category:
Beef
Category:
Other Main Dishes
Keyword:
#delicious
Keyword:
#cheesy
Keyword:
#Scrumptious
Keyword:
#flavorful
Keyword:
#tasty
Keyword:
#colorful
Ingredient:
Beef
Method:
Bake
Culture:
American
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