For me to post a meatloaf recipe – it HAS to be something special. I have never been a fan of meatloaf – not homemade, not store bought, not in a restaurant… not even my Mom’s recipe. š I just decided I need to come up with a recipe that I do like, since meatloaf tops the list of “comfort food”. What appealed to me was the idea of a “stuffed” meatloaf. I first tried it with a fresh mozzarella cheese filling (which was pretty amazing). The reason I know this is that even my grand children liked it! I then tried making it with a macaroni and cheese filling, and the results were even better!
I used Bob Evans prepared mac and cheese, which made this super simple – but you could use a homemade recipe for sure. Just make sure it is a VERY creamy recipe.
Mac n Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf Recipe (serves 6 – 8)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1 c seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 c milk
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 c prepared, creamy macaroni and cheese
Glaze ingredients:
- 1 c ketchup
- 1/4 c light brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp salt
- pinch of fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13″ x 9″ pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, herbs, salt, pepper, milk, and Worcestershire sauce. Knead to combine.
Divide meat in 1/2. Place 1/2 of meat mixture in the bottom of your prepared pan. Flatten into a large loaf shape, leaving raised edges all around the sides.
Spoon 1 c of macaroni and cheese down the center of the loaf. Optional – top with 1/2 c of grated cheddar or other cheese.
Flatten the remaining 1/2 of meat mixture on a piece of parchment paper, to the same size as the bottom loaf. Cover the mac n cheese with this, and seal the edges well using your fingers. Pinch together any little holes that may have formed on the top or sides, as the cheese mixture will seep out.
Prepare glaze. In a small bowl, add all glaze ingredients. Whisk together. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the meatloaf, and spread to cover. Reserve the other 1/2.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and pour remaining sauce over the meatloaf. Increase oven temp to 400 degrees, and bake an additional 15 min. Make sure the internal meat temp is 160 degrees. Rest for 10 min prior to serving.
