Italian Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1lb. Spicy Italian Sausage casing removed
1lb. ground beef or turkey
½ yellow/white medium onion or whole small chopped
1 egg
2 ½ tablespoons oil or butter for sautéing
1 big garlic clove minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 cups fresh spinach
1 6oz can tomato paste
½ - 1 cup jarred pasta sauce
½ cup bread crumbs (could add 3 tablespoons parmesan)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1)preheat oven to 375
2)Heat oil in large pan on medium high. Add onions sauté 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic stirring one more minute.
3)Add one cup at a time of spinach until slightly wilted. Continue with each cup. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Be careful not to use a lot of salt since the sausage is salty. Turn heat off and pat dry with paper towel.
4)put meat in big bowl add spices and combine with hands.
5)add eggs, bread crumbs and cheese is using
6)take 1/3 of meat mixture and form into a flat oval. This will be your base. Place in large baking dish.
7)spoon spinach mixture on base in the middle, make a mound. Make sure spinach does not have liquid..if so, pat with paper towel again.
8)with remaining meat flatten out with hands into oval flat shape bigger than your base. This will be the top. Carefully put the top over spinach and join the top with the bottom by pinching meat.
9)in a small bowl, combine tomato paste and pasta sauce
10)Cook meat loaf in oven for 40 minutes.
11)Remove meat loaf from oven and top with sauce. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes until top is browned.
Enjoy!!!

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