Garden Meats Loaf

Meatloaf recipes tend to be dry and dense. Not this one.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh bunched spinach or greens, tough stems removed
1 1/4 pounds ground meat (beef, pork, veal, or a combination of any or all three
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from about 2 bread slices)
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup celery, diced small (from about 2 medium stalks)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (if salted, reduce salt from above)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 bacon slices (optional)
Tomato sauce, warmed, for serving (optional)

Directions

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Rinse and drain spinach or greens. Place in a large frying pan, cover, and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Don't add water!

Transfer the spinach to a colander and douse with cold water to chill. Drain and press with your hands to extract most of the water. Coarsely chop the spinach.

Place the meat in a large bowl, followed by the chopped spinach, breadcrumbs, garlic, measured salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Don't mix yet, just set aside.

Place the celery, parsley, and milk in a blender and blend until puréed. Add to the meat mixture.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat until foaming. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add to the meat mixture.

Add the eggs to the meat mixture and, using clean hands, mix everything until evenly combined (don’t squeeze or overwork the mixture). If desired, test for seasoning, add if necessary.

Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, spread to the edges, and smooth out the top. Cover the meatloaf with the bacon slices, laying them lengthwise and side by side.

Bake in the oven until just cooked through, turning the pan 180 degrees halfway through, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Pour off the excess fat and let the meatloaf stand for 20 minutes before slicing. If you choose, serve with warmed tomato sauce.

More Info

Servings / Yield: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 1/2 hour   /   Total Time: 2 hrs
Category: Main Dish
Keywords: testing