Grilled Mini Meat Loaves

Let me be the first to point out that I do NOT like traditional meatloaf. Anything with oatmeal and a ketchup glaze will not be found in this house (no offense to those of you who love the traditional meatloaf...I'm sure you have a great recipe :)). I needed something easy but yummy to go with my tomato pie, so I went on a search, and this meat loaf is where I landed. This meatloaf is packed with flavor. It is DELICIOUS and a hit with both the adults and the kids.

Original inspiration for this recipe found at Food & Wine HERE.

Grilled Mini Meat Loaves:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped green onions
4 T olive oil
3 T Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 fresh mozzarella balls

Method:
Pulse basil and green onions together in food processor. Mix all ingredients (except mozzarella balls) by hand in large bowl. Make 6 oval patties out of the meat mixture. Place one mozzarella ball in the middle of each pattie and fold over until cheese is completely covered. Place on grill over medium high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Reduce heat and grill for about 10-15 minutes more until cooked through.

This goes really well with these recipes:

Tomato Pie

We grilled the corn, but this Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob is awesome too.

Happy Cooking!

Italian Meatloaf

Italian Meatloaf has become a new favorite around here. It's so so easy and packed with flavor. It came about as a short-cut to making meatballs. Serve with a side of pasta or some polenta








Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (I like to use red or orange)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup fresh basil or 2T dried basil
1 T Worchestershire sauce
3/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup marinara sauce

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in small saute pan. Add chopped onion and bell pepper (I like to chop these in the food processor so that the pieces are smaller.) Saute for several minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one more minute. Combine onion mixture and all other ingredients in bowl and mix with hands. Add mixture to a loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Top meatloaf mixture with marina sauce. Bake for 70ish minutes until cooked through.

Happy Cooking!