Meatloaf loaf (polpettone) was a staple in our home growing up. Now my family has grown to love this easy and delicious one pan meal. Think of this dish as a large oversized meatball stuffed with mozzarella. It is surrounded by a tomato sauce with potatoes
Meatloaf (Polpettone)
INGREDIENTS
(Serves 8)
1.3 lbs Ground Pork
½ lb. Ground Beef
2 Eggs, beaten
½ cup Plain Bread Crumbs
2 ¾ cups Passata
1 cup Grated Pecorino Romano2 ¼ tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
3 Tbsp. Plus 1 Tbsp. Chopped parsley
5 Cloves Garlic, chopped finely or 2 Tbsp. Garlic Pepper
1 lb. Low Moisture Mozzarella, sliced
1 Onion (7 oz.), sliced thinly
6 Large Potatoes (About 2.5 lbs), peeled and cubed
¼ Cup plus 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
4 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
14 x 9 Glass Shallow Pan - Pyrex
Wax paper (2- 15” long strips)
Method
**Recipe note…..even though I used fresh garlic in the video for this recipe, I actually like garlic pepper better. So if you have it, I would use it.
Preheat the oven to 375°.
In a bowl combine pork, beef, eggs, Pecorino, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, 3 tbsp. parsley, and garlic (or garlic pepper).
In a small bowl, put the bread crumbs and add ½ cup of passata. Mix well. Add it to the meat mixture. Use your hands to combine the meat well.
A separate bowl put the potatoes, onions, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 1/4 cups of passata, 1 tbsp. parsley, 1 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper. Combine.
Place the wax paper on the counter. Put the meat mixture on the wax paper. Using your hands, spread out the meat to about ¾ inch thick square. The width of the square should be about 12 inches.
Starting about 1” in from either side of the meat and 2” from the bottom, take some of the mozzarella mixture and put it in a line, going left to right. Be sure to reserve a few slices of mozzarella to top the meatloaf with.
Using two hands, take the meat and flip/roll it once going upwards. Use the wax paper to help you.
Do another line of mozzarella and flip/roll the meat upwards again. Do this until you have a loaf formed.
Make sure to use your finger to close both ends of the loaf so there are no holes for the mozzarella ooze thru.
Coat a glass Pyrex pan with 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Place the meatloaf in the middle of the pan.
Put the potato mixture around the perimeter of the meatloaf. Top the meatloaf with the reserved pieces of mozzarella.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 50 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake for about another 30 minutes until the meat is cooked thru (160 degrees) and the meatloaf is golden brown. Serve.