Looking for a family-friendly meatloaf recipe? This delicious, moist Italian-style meatloaf is stuffed with spinach and mozzarella cheese.
Meatloaf isn’t particularly pretty, is it? There’s no way to possibly photograph meatloaf to make it look like an enticing, appetising food, but I have to say, despite its appearance, this meatloaf is fantastic!
I’ve been making this meatloaf recipe for years, and my family loves it. Even the children, when it comes to getting kids to eat meatloaf, all parents know it can be tricky.
Ingredients you’ll need
- 15 grams butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 500 grams of lean beef mince
- 75 grams of fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 4 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 handful of fresh chopped herbs, parsley, marjoram, basil, etc
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 120 grams of spinach, tough stalks removed
- 150 grams mozzarella cheese
How to make stuffed meatloaf
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Line a 2-litre bread pan with baking paper. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a skillet, add onion, and sauté until softened (a few minutes). Add paprika and sauté a further minute.
- Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, garlic, tomato purée, herbs, egg, and onion mixture in a large bowl, using your hands to combine thoroughly. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Wash and chop the spinach, removing any tough stalks. Cook in a dry pan until wilted. Drain excess liquid if required.
- Lay out a sheet of greaseproof paper on your work surface.
- Press meat out into a rectangle that is the length of your bread pan and 1/2 inch thick.
- Sprinkle with a layer of chopped cooked spinach and then with a layer of torn mozzarella cheese.
- Using the greaseproof paper to help. Start rolling along the short side of the rectangle. Press into shape as you roll.
- Close both ends of the meatloaf by firmly pressing the edges together.
- Place the meatloaf in the bread pan and cover tightly with tin foil so no moisture can escape.
- Place tin in a large casserole pan filled with 1 inch of water.
- Bake for 90 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for a few minutes under high heat to crisp up the top.
- Serve with creamed potatoes and extra veg. Leftovers (if there are any!) freeze very well.
Stuffed wild moose meatloaf with spinach, cheese and pine mushrooms
The first time I’d ever had a stuffed meatloaf was while visiting my father on the west coast of Canada in the early 2000s.
He made a meatloaf from the minced wild moose meat given to him by a friend. He stuffed it with spinach, cheese, and pine mushrooms (pictured above and below) that we’d harvested that day from the forest behind his house.
It was heavenly!
In the absence of wild moose meat and wild forest pine mushrooms, I’ve created this gorgeous family-friendly Italian-style meatloaf stuffed with spinach and mozzarella cheese.
I hope you enjoy it!
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
For the meatloaf
- 15 grams butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 500 grams lean steak mince
- 75 grams fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 4 tbsp tomato puree
- handful fresh chopped herbs parsley, marjoram, basil, etc
- 1 free-range egg beaten
- Shetland sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Filling
- 120 grams spinach tough stalks removed
- 150 grams mozzarella cheese
- Shetland sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
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Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Line a 2 litre bread pan with baking paper. Set aside.
- Melt 15 grams butter in a skillet and sauté 1 onion, finely chopped, until softened (a few minutes). Add 1 tsp smoked paprika and sauté a further minute.
- Mix 500 grams lean steak mince, 75 grams fresh breadcrumbs, 1 garlic clove, 4 tbsp tomato puree, a handful fresh chopped herbs, 1 free-range egg, beaten, and onion mixture together in a large bowl using your hands to combine thoroughly. Season well with Shetland sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Wash and chop 120 grams spinach, removing any tough stalks. Cook in a dry pan until wilted. Drain excess liquid if required.
- Lay out a sheet of greaseproof paper on your work surface.
- Press meat out into a rectangle the length of you bread pan and 1/2 inch thick.
- Sprinkle with a layer of chopped cooked spinach and then with 150 grams mozzarella cheese, torn roughly. Season well with Shetland sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Using the greaseproof paper to help. start rolling along the short side of the rectangle. Press into shape as you roll.
- Close both ends of the meatloaf by firmly pressing the edges together.
- Place the meatloaf in the bread pan and cover tightly with tin foil so that no moisture can escape.
- Place tin in a large casserole pan filled with 1 inch of water.
- Bake for 90 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for a few minutes under a high heat if you want to crisp up the top.
- Serve with creamed potatoes and extra veg. Leftovers (if there are any!) freeze very well.
Rhubarb and Saffron Yogurt Cake
Npt something ive tried before – sure the family will really enjoy the taste – quick and easy too
Never thought to try this combination, but it sounds delicious.
I like a bit of meat loaf.
Looks delicious!
This looks great. I made meatloaf the other day for the first time. I might use this recipe for my second attempt.
Looks yummy!
Ooh, this looks good! Def. one to be tried out this w/end>
I have never made or even eaten meatloaf but it sounds very tasty.
Such an easy and delicious family dinner and a great solution to cheese and greens past their best in the fridge. Perfect for making in advance, putting in the fridge and quickly shoving in the oven in the evening. I’ve made meatloaf quite a lot but never with stuffing, will definitely give this a go. Thanks so much for letting me host and for linking up with No Waste Food Challenge this month 🙂
You know, I’ve never had meatloaf, always imagining it to be something full of rubbish that I wouldn’t like but I’ve no idea why because reading yours makes it sound delicious. I’m going to suggest it to my mum to make one day when she has some mince and doesn’t feel like making a cottage pie =)
Oh you have to try it! A good meatloaf is one of those amazing comfort food dishes. Of course, a bad meatloaf can ruin the notion of meatloaf ever again, but this one is nice – promise! 🙂
I’ve not made meatloaf in ages, you have photographed it well – mine looked like er well best not go there.. Love the gooey cheese and spinach filling idea, definitely something I will try!
Thanks Anne – you should give it a go when the weather is a bit dreary outside. It’s excellent comfort food 🙂
What a fab idea! Never tried making anything like this so will have to give it a go xx
Thanks Emily 🙂 I do love a good meatloaf, me! You should try it!
That’s beautiful! Really, really appealing – and I’ve never seen it done this way before. Fab.
Aw thanks! I don’t think there are many meatloaves where one can say that, haha! 😀 Thanks for popping by!
god this looks gorgeous… i’ve never made a meatloaf and you make it look so easy and so yummy… love how it also looks so contemporary with the mozzarella, I love it!
Thank you Dom! I can’t believe you’ve never made meatloaf before, oh you’ve been missing out! 🙂
How delicious does this look! Wow, will have to make this-I eat mozzarella constantly! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays
Thank you! Glad you like the look of it 🙂
I think you did a pretty good job of photographing it. It looks yum!
Thank you Ciara 🙂
I think you have succeeded in making meatloaf look delicious. I am tempted to try this, never liked the look of meatloaf before
Aw thanks! 🙂 I do hope you try it – it’s so easy to make and tastes fantastic! 🙂
I knew there had to be a way to work more nutrition and texture into meatloaf – and this is genius! Love the stuffing and what a beautiful result. Meatloaf may be tricky to photograph, but I think you’ve got a winning shot!
Thanks Mark! So glad you like the sound (and look!) of it 🙂
Looks like a really wholesome recipe! Love the combination of meat, spinach, and cheese.
Thanks Tarana, I suppose it is a healthier version, somewhat!
Looks great Elizabeth. I used to always use up mince by doing a meat loaf when I was working in busy kitchens and have been meaning to do one in a while. You have just reminded me regarding a recipe I used to do. Thanks for that hun! 🙂
Thanks Janine – how do you make your meatloaf?
Been trying to do a decent shaped meatload but its always a fail for me. This process is so helpful! Will go back to tell you if I finally got it right =) #TastyTuesdays
Oh do let me know how you get on! 🙂 Thanks for popping by!
I used to kid that the most difficult food to photograph attractively is meatloaf but you have made a very good job of it! I haven’t made any in over a decade – the stuffing is a genius idea! Thanks so much for linking to #CookBlogShare
You can make absolutely anything look stunning with your photography (I am so envious of your glorious, glorious light!) so I reckon you should try 🙂 Thanks for hosting such a fab new challenge (and being so quick to comment!) x