This may not be the most photogenic recipe I'll ever offer to you (trust me - I tried valiantly with different plates and angles and lighting!), but it's truly one of the best. Just imagine it: Italian sausage, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, pesto ... a feast of flavors, if not a feast for the eyes!
Meatloaf often gets a bad reputation because it's usually just plain ol' ground beef mixed with ketchup or bread crumbs or Lipton onion soup mix, but it doesn't need to be that way. Use a variety of meats, change up the sauces and seasonings, stuff something interesting into the middle ... give it a make-over and glam it up!
You can vary the spiciness of the dish by using mild, sweet or hot Italian sausage; and you can lower the fat content by using links made of turkey, if you prefer.
This dinner was devoured so quickly that there wasn't even a hope of leftovers for the next day - pretty good reviews for a meatloaf!
Cheesey Italian Sausage Meatloaf
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound ground turkey
1 small red onion, chopped fine
4 tablespoons pesto, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 ounces Gorgonzola, divided
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine sausage, turkey, onion, 2 tablespoons of the pesto, salt, pepper and oregano. Take two-thirds of the mixture and press it across the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan. Place half of the Gorgonzola and all of the parmesan into the center of the circle, leaving a 1/2" border. Carefully spread the rest of the mixture over the cheese, and seal the edges.
Bake for 45 minutes, then brush with remaining the remaining 2 tablespoons pesto; sprinkle the remaining Gorgonzola over the top. Bake 5 more minutes.
Let the meatloaf rest for 5 minutes before cutting into portions.
Serves 6-8.
Oh my god girl, that sounds amazing!! Meat followed by cheese followed by more meat followed by more cheese? Yes, I'll have some please!!!
ReplyDeleteI am quite sure that there wouldn't be leftovers of that yumminess in my house either. Better double or even triple that recipe if I want a sandwich the next day! It looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteWell I think it sounds AND looks amazing. So yummy and gooey. We don't make meatloaf much, but there is some tweaking needed in my recipe. This might just do the trick!
ReplyDeleteI made this over the weekend and it was great! With such salty cheese I did reduce the salt in half. I'll leave it out the next time because I still found it a bit salty. But I will be making this again.
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