Sicilian Meat Roll

So, Jason decided to make me make a dinner for a change. He likes my meat loaf, so maybe that's why he chose this recipe. We invited my mom and her boyfriend over to try this dish. The results were surprising. My mom, who normally eats a few bites and is full, ate a full plate! Dave, her boyfriend, stuffed himself as well! I must say that this dinner is definitely going to be a good alternative to our normal meat loaf. The recipe can be found in "The Best of Country Cooking" a Taste of Home Book 2000 edition on page 146.

Here's what's in it:

2 eggs
1/2 cup tomato juice
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
8 thin slices of fully cooked ham
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 thin slices mozzarella cheese

(Sorry the picture is dark, I accidentally deleted the good one)

 

Directions for this yummy recipe:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet. Take your sliced cheese and cut it diagonally and set aside for later.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, tomato juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.

Add the beef, bread crumbs and parsley; mix well. You can use your hands, but a wooden spoon worked just as well in this recipe.

On a piece of heavy-duty foil, pat the meat mixture into a 12 inch X 10 inch rectangle.

Place the ham and shredded cheese on the loaf to within 1/2 inch of the edges.

Next, roll it up jelly-roll style. Begin with the short end (10 inch side) and roll the the other, peeling the foil away as you go.

Place on a greased baking pan with the seam side down. I line mine with foil first to reduce some clean up.

Seal the ends.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove and top with the sliced cheese.

Bake for 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Watch it or it will turn out like mine!

This is what it looks like when you slice it open.

I made garlic and herb mashed potatoes and sauteed zucchini and onions to complete the meal.

The recipe says it yields 8 servings and it does. It was SO good and the leftovers were delicious as well. I would give this a 5-6 rating of ease. The construction of this loaf can be difficult if you don't know how to do a jelly-roll, other than that it's pretty simple. Next time I make this, I will probably flatten the meat mixture out thinner. I think it might make it easier to roll.

So the next time you have the in-laws over for dinner and want to impress them, use this recipe. It's sure to impress and please.

Happy cooking!

~Carson~