Oh man! This is the ultimate comfort food.. with a delicious twist! My boys absolutely loved this! I topped the meatloaf with a yummy tomato sauce that really made this dish out of this world good!
Here’s what you need:
Sauce:
1 T olive oil
1 t minced garlic
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t salt
Meatloaf:
2 lb lean ground beef ( I used 88/12 )
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella
fresh basil leaves torn to garnish
Preheat oven to 400. Make the sauce first; In a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic in the olive oil for a minute or two. Add in the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer.
Mix all the ingredients for the meatloaf, except the mozzarella and basil, together well. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place meatloaf mixture in the pan and shape it into a long loaf, leaving space between the meat and sides of the pan. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for one hour. When it’s done, remove foil and cover meatloaf with the mozzarella cheese. Return pan to oven, uncovered, for five minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and allow to rest ten minutes. Garnish with fresh basil. Slice and serve! Yum!