Messy Meatloaf/Stuffed Meatloaf

OK, so I found a couple of really cool recipes for this and thought it sounded and looked really yummy because we are pretty much suckers for anything Italian. Mine was most similar to Messy Meatloaf from Jersey Girl Cooks , but I originally found it through Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf from Full Bellies, Happy Kids. Anyway, I wanted to credit my inspirations and am also including the pic from Jersey Girl, since that's what mine looked like. I like my meatloaf to be soft, moist and juicy, so I use sauce and more filler in the meat mixture, so it's the consistency of a good Italian meatball, rather than a burger patty, but if you are more the meat type, by all means reduce the breadcrumbs and the sauce! Anyway, it was quite delicious and it is going in "the rotation". Since it has a veggie in it, I just served with a salad, but garlic parm mashed 'taters would be really good with it in retrospect. Here goes, give it a try - I think you will like it...

Messy Meatloaf

• olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package fresh baby spinach (6-10 oz - whatever your store carries will do just fine)
• 1 small can diced tomatoes, drained well (you could easily omit this, but since the original recipe called for mushrooms and Richard hates them, I wanted something else with the spinach)
• 2 c spaghetti sauce, divided (I use the cheapy Hunt's -Traditional flavor)
• 1.5 - 2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (I use part skim mozzarella to save on calories, but used all 2 cups, you know I love my cheese)
• .5 c Italian blend cheese (you could easily omit, but I pretty much keep this on hand because I love it so much in my Italian recipes)
• 1 .5 lbs ground turkey
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 1 tbs dried Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste
  

Preheat oven to 350. Saute garlic quickly in olive oil and add spinach to "wilt" (don't let it get all goopey here people). Remove from heat and add approx 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 c mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Italian blend cheese, and toss to combine. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, and seasoning. Add 1/2 cup of both spaghetti sauce and mozzarella. Mix well. *Adjust sauce and bread crumbs for your desired consistency by adding a little bit at a time. Add 2/3 of mixture to a lightly greased Pyrex. Flatten out the center to make a slight well (I left about a 1/2' lip on the sides. Spread spinach mixture in "well". Top with a little more cheese if desired (I did). Top with remaining meat mixture, and press around edges to "seal" and shape it like a loaf (if you like). I just used the side of my spatula/spoonula thing to do this. Spread remaining spaghetti sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165. Remove from oven and let rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving, or it is TRULY "Messy Meatloaf"! :-)

A twist on Chicken Divan

OK, as you all know, I'm on a tight budget and am trying to keep staples that I can do varying things with. It's almost like a game to see what all I can make without having to buy anything! One of my new favorite staples is the HUGE bag of frozen veggies from Costco - the Costco/Kirkland's brand "Normandy Style Vegetable Mix". It's not a big block of veggie mush, each individual piece is individually frozen, so it's easy to take out what you need and zip up the rest in the resealable bag. It contains broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots and yellow carrots cut on the diagonal. I personally had never heard of "yellow carrots", but I'm a fan. They remind me a little of yellow bell pepper because they are sweet and yummy. Because of my 6lbs of frozen veggie bounty, I figured I'd do a Chicken Divan-esque dish. I cannot even tell you how much better it was with all of these extra veggies. I would probably be more likely to call if a Curry Chicken Primavera, but who am I to rename a dish? Oh, and by the way, this was soooo cheap and easy to make! Unfortunately, I'm getting over some type of crud-du-jour and don't feel like putting in all of the ingredients to the nutrition calculator, but you are welcome to.
Here goes...

A Twist on Chicken Divan or maybe Curry Chicken Primevera :-)

• 4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves cooked (I chopped and then sauteed with garlic salt and pepper)
• 4 cups Normandy vegetable mix, thawed
• 3 cans reduced fat, low sodium cream of chicken soup (If you don't like as much "sauce" as us, reduce to 2 cans)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 2.5 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• shredded cheddar (2%, of course)
• seasoned bread crumbs (I just blend stale sandwich bread with garlic salt, pepper and a bit of parmesan, transfer to a ziplock and throw it in the freezer for future use, instead of throwing the stale bread away)
• melted butter
• prepared brown rice (I also think this would be fabulous tossed with pasta as well if you aren't big on rice)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine soup, mayo, curry & mustard powders, and lemon juice in bowl. Add chunked (or shredded) cooked chicken to soup mixture until well distributed. Gently fold in veggies. Transfer mixture to lightly greased 9x11 casserole dish and spread evenly. Top with shredded cheddar. Top cheese with bread crumbs, and evenly distribute melted butter over top of bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes, until top is bubbly and browned. Serve over rice. Since the rice takes about 35 minutes to cook, it is perfectly timed!

Enjoy!