Meat and spinach loaf

| ERA

This is one of my favorite recipes. It creates two good-sized meat loaves. You can also cut the recipe in half for one loaf. But, this freezes very well so you might just want to make the larger recipe for your family or you can share with those less fortunate.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb ground veal
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 lbs of fresh baby spinach [substitute available below]
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped celery [substitute available below]
  • 1 cup parsley
  • 3/4 cup whole or low fat milk
  • 1 cup bread crumbs [substitute available below]
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 4 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 1 stick of butter [salted or unsalted]
  • 5 large Vidalia onions [optional and used for topping]
PREPARATION
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Heat the butter in a small pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook until wilted. Set aside and let cool.
  3. Saute or steam the spinach. When cooked put in a strainer and press down on spinach to remove as much water as possible. Then chop the spinach. Set aside and let cool.
  4. Put the chopped celery, parsley and milk in an electric blender and blend well. Set aside.
  5. Place all meat in very large oval bowl. Add the spinach, bread crumbs, salt to taste, pepper and nutmeg.
  6. Add the eggs to the meat mix and blend well.
  7. Add the celery, parsley, milk mixture and blend well.
  8. Add the spinach and blend well.
  9. Divide the meat in half and place half on large piece of wax paper. Roll to create a loaf and place in large pan. Do the same with the other half of meat.
  10. Wrap bacon around each loaf.
  11. Cook until internal temperature of loaves reaches 170.
  12. While meat loaves are cooking, slice the 5 large onions. Put in a large pan with stick of butter and cook until browned about 20 minutes or so.
  13. Drain all the fat from the pan and let meat loaves sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
  14. Slice meatloaf and serve with onions on top.
NOTES

Possible Substitutes: 

Cooked chopped broccoli florets instead of spinach
Finely chopped carrots instead of celery or a mix of both
Panko instead of bread crumbs
Low fat milk instead of whole milk

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