Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 pounds ground meat (I used 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground sausage)
• chopped celery, about 3 stalks
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• a few mushrooms, chopped (I used baby portabella)
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• Italian breadcrumbs (I used Panko since they are crispier)
• chopped parsley
• 8-ounce block mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper
• extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating, sauté onion and celery in 2 tbs olive oil until tender. Add in garlic and mushrooms, then sauté another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper AFTER the mushrooms have started to cook, because salt will make the mushrooms rubbery if you salt them too early. Remove pan from heat and let cool a few minutes.

This is a great way to sneak in a few veggies, because they sort of disappear into the meatloaf and your kids won’t know they are in there! You could also sneak in some carrots, eggplant, etc.

In a large mixing bowl, combine raw ground meat, cooked veggie mixture, eggs, parsley, 2 cups breadcrumbs, 6 ounces of the cheese cut into cubes, and salt and pepper. Shape into a loaf about 12″x5″ and place in greased baking dish. (I put mine on a roasting rack inside the dish so the fat could drain off while cooking.)

In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, the remaining 2 ounces of mozzarella shredded up, a little parsley, and 1 tbs olive oil. Arrange this mixture on top of meatloaf to make the crispy, cheesy topping, then bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until meat is cooked all the way through.

When you take the meatloaf out of the oven, the topping will be browned and crispy like this…

…and the cubed mozzarella will be oozing out of the meatloaf.

You should have gooey cheese in every slice, and it is SO GOOD! Much better than regular meatloaf! And your kids won’t even notice the veggies snuck in!

I hope your family enjoys this Italian twist on boring meatloaf as much as mine does!

Thanks y’all!

– Nikki