Lasagna Meatloaf: A Layered Legend

By Iris Mizrahi

I really love lasagna—it's probably one of my favorite foods. I also enjoy a good meatloaf… most of the time. I can be picky with food, but I still enjoy it. When I found this recipe, I was instantly interested. Two of my favorite things? Perfect.

Things You'll Need

• Large frying pan

• Sheet pan 

• Mixing bowl

• Parchment paper

Ingredients

Meatloaf mix

• 1 pound ground beef 20% fat

• 1 pound ground turkey you could use pork if you prefer

• 1 egg

• 1 onion diced

• 5 cloves garlic minced

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

• 3 oz tomato paste

• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1/3 cup milk

• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Build it

• 6 full lasagna noodles

• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese

• 1 cup mozzarella

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 shallot minced

• 2 cloves garlic minced

• 3 oz tomato paste

• 14 oz crushed tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix all the meatloaf ingredients to combine. Stir until fully mixed.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles until tender but not fully cooked. They should still have a slight bite to them.

3. Lay two of the noodles next to each other on a sheet pan lined with parchment so that the ruffles overlap in the center. Remove them from the pan but keep an eye on where they were so you can use that as a guide. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

4. Put 1/4 of the meat down on the pan where the noodles were. Place the two noodles back on top and use your hands to shape the meat into a rectangle under the noodles.

5. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta onto the noodles, then sprinkle on some cheese.

6. Repeat with the next 1/4 of meat, then noodles and cheeses. Then one more time, and then the remaining meat on top. It should be meat on the top and bottom with 3 layers of pasta and 4 layers of meat.

7. Shape the loaf a bit with your hands to make a nice rectangular box. Put into the oven for 30 minutes.

8. Right when the loaf goes into the oven, put the olive oil on in a frying pan and add the shallots. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in the tomato paste and cook, mashing and mixing the paste, for 3-5 minutes until fragrant.

9. Add in the can of tomatoes, the worcestershire, and the honey and stir to combine. Heavily simmer for the remaining 20 minutes or so time the loaf has to cook.

10. Remove the loaf and spread the sauce on top evenly so it drips down the sides a bit. Return to the oven for about 15 more minutes until fully cooked.

11. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with extra sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe and idea retrieved from: The Food in my Beard by Dan Whalen