Polpettone ripieno senz’uovo (Stuffed Egg-free Meatloaf)

Despite being April, London is still struck by the cold weather. As every cloud has a silver lining, this is an opportunity to indulge in some late wintery dishes… so here comes the stuffed meatloaf, something you wouldn’t normally opt for under a warm Summer sun.

I have tried to make this version a bit lighter and healthier by replacing the eggs with a spoon of olive oil. This will also let the meat influence the final flavour more.

Ready in: 1h

Difficulty: Easy

Cost: Low

Ingredients to serve 2:

. Beef mince (300g)
. Garlic (2 cloves, chopped in tiny pieces)
. Breadcrumbs (60g)
. Parmesan (60g)
. Mozzarella (half)
. Roasted Ham (a few slices)
. Parsley (chopped)
. Spinach (a fistful)
. Nutmeg
. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
. Black Ground Pepper
. Salt

Method

In a large bowl place the beef mince, the garlic, the Parmesan and the breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt, some grated nutmeg and black pepper. Then the chopped parsley and a spoon of extra virgin olive oil. Now knead using your hands until the mixture looks strong and homogeneous. Compact it, always using your hands.

Prepare a sheet of baking paper and place your mixture on top – either by turning your bowl upside-down or simply by moving it with your hands.

With a pin, roll the mixture to form a layer (try to make as close as possible to a rectangle) on which you will place first the ham, then the mozzarella slices and finally the spinach. Make sure you leave enough space on the sides, near the borders, as you will roll the layer on itself and close it in the baking paper as you would normally do with an old fashioned candy. Once closed, roll again on itself to compact the mixture and place in a baking pan.

Heat the oven to 160°C and cook for 40 minutes, turning the meatloaf every 10-15 minutes to uniformly cook the meat and the stuffing.

Cut in slices and serve with a medium-bodied red wine.