Polpettone
Stuck with that ground beef in the fridge huh? No idea what to make for dinner right? Well, we love meatloaf here, but meatloaf can get a little boring (not mine of course). Well how abut you add this one to that meatloaf rotation? It is very similar, but different. I even hesitate to call it meatloaf, because it really isn’t. It’s kind of Italian meatloaf. It really ends up being more like log than a loaf. Anyway, the log gets stuffed! I guess it’s more rolled than stuffed, but you get the idea. Genius! You can stuff this with all kind of things! Spinach and cheese or mushrooms would be amazing. I have even seen hard boiled egg! This time I added prosciutto and mozzarella. Oh yes I did! Whatever you choose, it really is a sight once the meat gets sliced, especially if you’ve added some kind of cheese!
The log recipe is kind of like my meatball recipe more that my meatloaf recipe. I add breadcrumbs and cheese. Once everything is nicely mixed, the fun begins! You will need parchment paper to help with rolling. The meat gets flattened out, and our ingredients get layered in. Then we roll. And roll. And roll. Seal up the seam and seal up the ends. Done. I promise it’s not hard! Into the oven it goes. Once it’s cooked. the trick is to let it rest about 10 minutes. This step is crucial. It needs to kind of set up before slicing. It will fall apart if you not let it rest. Slice it up into big thick slices. The cheese will be melty and the kids will be happy. Um, who doesn’t love melted cheese? No one. Of course, a little prosciutto never hurt anyone either. Once you get the method down, get creative! I think you can stuff this with with pretty much anything!
Besides the fact that is is delicious, it’s kinda cool to look at!
My kids gave it a 14 out of 10. Not Bad.
Polpettone
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 3 ounces prosciutto sliced thin
- 3 ounces mozzarella cheese slices shredded is fine
- salt & pepper
- 1 tbs olive oil for coating the meat
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl combine ground beef, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese, egg and salt and pepper.
- Mix to combine, but don't over mix. Take a large sheet of parchment paper and lay it down a flat surface. Take your meat mixture and spread it onto the paper in a large oval shape.
- Next top it with slices of prosciutto.
- Now top the prosciutto with the cheese (shredded cheese is fine).
- Using the parchment paper to help you, begin to roll the meat starting from one end and working towards the other end.
- Keep rolling.
- And rolling
- And rolling.
- When you are done rolling, seal the seam and the ends. Place the log into a baking dish and coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked through.
- Remove from the oven after and let the meat rest for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, slice the meat into about 1 inch slices and serve.
