Italian Meatloaf

I made this over the weekend for “Man’s Week” .We’re hitting the warmer parts of summer here and always try to get stuff done before it really gets hot. My Son’s birthday is also this week, so between that and Father’s Day, it became “Man Week”. Nothing says man food like Meatloaf either. You just can’t go wrong with it! Sometimes I’ll make it a day before, and we have meatloaf sandwiches, also like to plate the  meatloaf on top of greens, spinach, and tomatoes with shredded Parmesan cheese.

came across this on allrecipes:
makes 1 large meatloaf

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 pound ground beef, 85% lean
1 pound ground pork ( I used ground turkey)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus extra for sprinkling on top
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 cups of marinara sauce – homemade is great here!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a saucepan to medium high heat and add the butter. When melted, saute the onion, celery, and red pepper for 6 – 8 minutes. Add garlic to saute for an additional minute. Add the basil, oregano, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. Simmer until thickened (couple minutes). Pour into a large bowl to cool.

Add ground beef, ground pork, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs to bowl with the onion mixture and combine gently until the well mixed. On a rimmed baking sheet, form a loaf. Bake for about 30 minutes and then spread about 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the top and side of the meatloaf. Return to the oven, continue cooking for an additional 20 – 30 minutes or until the internal temperature registers about 170 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest about 10 minutes before cutting into thick slices. Serve with remaining warmed marinara sauce and extra Parmesan cheese.