Nonna's Italian Meatloaf

This looks a little messy but it is worth it covered in sauce!

Italian Meatloaf that is great to enjoy year-round. It is a simple, delicious dish to enjoy when you are craving comfort food.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds ground beef (I used grass fed) or for a more tender meatloaf, grind up a lean beef roast

• 3 small onions, peeled and sliced in half (plus one 1/2 chopped for the meatloaf mix)
  

• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into long pieces

• 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

• ½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley (just the leaves)

• 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

• 1 cup breadcrumbs, use your favorite gluten-free crumbs to make it GF

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten1 cup grated Grana Padano (or Parmigiano Reggiano)

• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (add more to taste)
  

• 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled (optional)

• ½ cup dry white wine optional

• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 Tablespoons of Truffle Oil Red Sauce Ingrediencies

• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• Salt & Pepper to taste

• dried chili pepper

• 2 teaspoons each of oregano & parsley

• 2 whole carrots, peeled and cleaned

Instructions

• Heat oven: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• Prep the potatoes: In a medium pot of boiling water, boil the potatoes.

• Combine meatloaf ingredients: In a medium sized bowl, stir together the ground meat, parsley, rosemary, breadcrumbs, chopped onion. Add in the potatoes. Add in the eggs, cheese, salt, pepper and rosemary and stir until combined.

• Prep large casserole or baking sheet: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Scoop out the meatloaf mixture on parchment paper and pat it into a rectangle about 9 inches long by 4 inches wide.

• Fill with eggs: Line the hard-boiled eggs in the center of the meatloaf. Line up one of the carrots cut into slivers next to the eggs. With your hands add on the rest of the meatloaf mixture and pat it on top covering the eggs. Make sure no parts of the eggs are peaking out.

• Place vegetables around meatloaf: Place the rest of the carrots around the meat loaf in the pan. Add the wine around the pan and drizzle the olive oil on the meatloaf and around the vegetables.

• Bake: Bake for 35-40 minutes in the center rack of the oven (until internal temperature is 150 degrees), basting occasionally with the pan

• Let rest when it's ready: Remove the dish from the oven. Transfer the meat loaf to a cutting board, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.

• Make the sauce: Puree with an immersion blender (or in your blender) including the carrots that were cooked in the pan around the meatloaf and the juices from the pan and blend all together.
  

• Slice and serve: Cut into thick slices. Arrange on a serving plate with the sauce on the bottom and serve with mashed potatoes.