Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce

Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce, Polpettone farcito. Looking for that wonderful comforting dish for the holiday season? This Italian meatloaf is packed with flavor and so tender it just melts in your mouth. So luxurious with that filling of prosciutto cotto, boiled eggs, and cheese, bathed in a rich tomato basil sauce, that I think you are going to want to try this!

Song of the day: "I Will Follow You" by Rick Nelson

[This post is sponsored by Stefano Faita. As always, all opinions and ideas are entirely our own.]

Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce, a recipe to cherish

We love recipes that come during certain times of the year. It makes them special and so looked forward too. One thing about our Italian heritage is that we really respect the holidays and certain recipes that follow them.

I like that we get so excited about Christmas, not only because of the gifts, symbolism, and all the beautiful decorations, however, also the delicious food that comes which is shared with family, friends, and the experience of it all, the LOVE! This Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce, which in Italian we call Polpettone Farcito is exactly that, a recipe that comes out for us on special occasions like Christmas, and maybe other festive times of year, or Sunday lunch, so it is something that we will always crave, and cherish. This is real Italian family comfort food.

Want to make something special for your family? Nicoletta and I are going to show you exactly how to make this Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce, Polpettone Farcito!

Here are the ingredients for Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce

One thing I wanted to mention is that we use good quality ingredients. It really makes a difference knowing your food is made with love from top to bottom. Here are the ingredients you will need:

• Grass fed ground beef
• Ground pork
• Garlic
• Egg
• Day-old bread
• Milk
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Fresh parsly
• Salt and pepper
• Boiled eggs
• Prosciutto cotto (Italian cooked ham)
• Shredded Provolone
• Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
• Tomato paste
• Stefano's Tomato Basil sauce

From the kitchen

Get into the kitchen and gather up these things:

• Large bowl
• Small bowls
• Parchment paper
• Cutting board
• Chopping knife
• Spatulas
• Wooden spoon
• Large spoon
• Large sauté pan
• Dutch oven
• Carving knife
• Serving platter

Tips for the ingredients

You want to get the right ingredients to have a successful end result. Here are some tips:

• For the ground beef and pork, make sure it is fine ground or double ground, with a good fat content. We need that fine texture to hold the meatloaf together.
• Look for grass fed. When animals graze of fresh grass it infuses a lovely flavor and tenderness into the meat.
• For the eggs, we always use free range organic. Beautiful yolks and rich flavor.
• As far as the prosciutto cotto and provolone, we always pick the imported ones from Italy.
• Stefano's Tomato Basil sauce which is as close to homemade as you can get. Check out this link for locations on where to buy it.

Making the Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce

There are a few steps in making this Polpettone farcito, each one equally important to develop the flavors and textures. Here is how it goes:

• Firstly, we want to boil two eggs. Get a pot of cold salted water with the eggs in. Bring to a low boil then cook for 9-10 minutes after the boil occurs. Rinse with cold water and peel. Set aside.
• Secondly, take all the inside crumb of some bread, usually white, and break it up into small morsels. Place in a bowl and add milk. Let that soak for a bit until bread is nice and moist.
• Thirdly, place ground beef and pork into a large bowl, break it up a bit, add in the egg, crushed garlic, and fresh chopped parsley, squeeze the milk soaked bread, and place that in too. Toss in grated Parmigiano, salt, pepper, and with hands or a spoon mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Shaping the meat for the loaf

• After the meat is all mixed up, place it on some parchment paper, and press it into a rectangle about 12x10 inches and about ½ inch thick.

• Now that we have our meat all pressed, time to place the prosciutto cotto on top. It is important to make sure you leave a nice boarder all around, because we need to close the meatloaf well so it does not open.
• Next we make a couple of pockets by pressing down on the prosciutto cotto. This is going to be the bowl to hold the boiled eggs in place. With that being said place the eggs down now.
• Final thing is to sprinkle the shredded provolone on top and around the eggs. Be generous, we want a nice cheesiness to happen as it cooks.

Rolling the Stuffed Meatloaf

I love this part, it takes a bit of patience but relatively easy. Here is how it is done:

• Take the parchment paper and begin to roll the loaf from the long side moving it forward creating a log pulling the parchment away so it does not go into the roll. When to the two ends meet, overlap and press together, doing the same for the opposite ends, making sure that all the stuffing is sealed in by the meat.
• Roll the loaf so the parchment encases it. Twist the ends and place onto a plate, and into the fridge it goes for about 30 minutes.

• Take the meatloaf out of the fridge. In a large sauté pan drizzle in olive oil and turn heat to a med to high heat. Unwrap loaf and gently place into hot pan and brown all around. This takes about 10 minutes. Use a couple of spatulas to turn the loaf to get it all browned up. Gently, take meatloaf out and place on a plate.
• In that same pan toss in minced carrots, celery, and onion. Spoon in tomato paste, and stir. Sauté until vegetables are soft and onions are translucent.

Braising the Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce

There is nothing better than a meat braised in tomato sauce. The best part of this recipe is that we are using a wonderful store bought sauce. Stefano's Tomato Basil. We love this sauce as it truly reminds us of the one made by our parents and nonni! This is how we braise the meatloaf:

• Pour the mirepoix mixture with all the juices and oil from the pan into a Dutch oven large enough to house the meatloaf. Pour in half the jar of sauce into the pot, then carefully lay the meatloaf in.
• Cover the meatloaf with the rest of the sauce in the jar. Cover and place on stove top on low heat and cook for 35 minutes. In the last 15 minutes, partially uncover to thicken the sauce up a bit. Remember to check on it often, and move the meatloaf around a bit, to make sure there is sauce underneath and it does not burn.
• Turn off heat and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Plating

This Stuffed Meatloaf in tomato sauce presents so well. Scoop up that lovely sauce and slather it onto the bottom of a nice rectangular serving plate. Slice up the meatloaf into ¾ inch rounds and place on top of the sauce on the serving dish.

Garnish with some fresh basil leaves. Ready to serve.

Tasting time!

The aroma alone has my mouth watering and seeing that rich sauce bathing the moistness of the meat and the stuffing has me just wanting to dive in and that is just what I am going to do.

WOW! The meat is so tender and moist it is just melting in my mouth. I love how the sauce has just lovingly imbedded itself into the meat.

The stuffing is absolutely wonderful. The prosciutto cotto is sweet and adds a nice seasoning to the mix, while the melted provolone provides this luscious texture and beautiful flavor.

The egg is like a present that you are so excited to open and in this case taste. I love that mix of egg, meat, and sauce, so luxurious and pleasing to the taste buds. Reminds me of my mom and eating her eggs cooked in tomato sauce. All I can say is definitely need some bread so we can do some serious scarpetta (clean up the sauce in the plate with the bread).

For me cooking is loving. The process of preparing, right down to sitting around the table, and enjoying the fruits of our labor. It is all so worth it, because seeing that satisfaction on everyone's faces fills us with warmth and joy. I hope you enjoyed making this recipe with us, and remember, don't hesitate to ask us questions. We would love to help, and also hear from you!

Buon Appetito!

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