Cheese and Mushroom Stuffed Meatloaf
Meatloaf screams comfort food to me. At this time of year, I am all about the comfort food. Gray skies, cold temps call for warm comforting food on the dining room table. Because I never leave well enough alone, cheese and mushroom stuffed meatloaf is now our go to comfort food. Why have regular meatloaf when you can stuff the middle with extra flavor? Yes please, always add extra deliciousness to my already comforting meal.
Start with the Filling
The prep for this meal starts with the filling. Add oil and onions to skillet over medium heat and sauté until translucent. Then add your mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook until your mushrooms are nice and soft and any liquid has evaporated. I use fresh or canned mushrooms depending on what is available. If you use fresh mushrooms, I recommend cooking until the mushrooms are a golden brown color.
Time to Season the Meat
The original recipe for cheese and mushroom stuffed meatloaf came from a venison cookbook. I have since made slight alterations to the original recipe, but predominately still use ground venison as my meat. Please feel free to use your favorite meat and the recipe will turn out equally as delicious.
In a mixing bowl add meat, egg, breadcrumbs, and spices. Mix together well to combine. I use my hands for this process, but if you would like to use a spoon or spatula go right ahead. As a side note, crushed cracker crumbs are a wonderful alternative to bread crumbs. In all honesty, I may prefer cracker crumbs. Use what you have!
Layer It Up
The original recipe calls for rolling the loaf, similar to a jelly roll. I did it once or twice. It is a whole lot of work for very little reward in my humble opinion. Layering is the simple easy route I suggest for stuffing the meatloaf. Take half of the meat mixture and press it into the bottom of the pan, next layer in mushroom mixture and cheese. Finally, add the other half of the meat mixture to the top. Voila! It is ready for the oven. Bake for 1 hour at 350°F, remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes, cut and serve.
Cheese and mushroom stuffed meatloaf is a favorite in our house. I have even ventured into creating other stuffed meatloaves, because why leave well enough alone. Let me tell you Spinach Artichoke stuffed meatloaf is also a party on your plate. Do not skimp on the resting time if having your meatloaf hold together is important to your family. Happy Cooking!
Here are a few more recipes you may enjoy:
Crockpot Chicken Chili – A Simple Midweek Meal
Tastes like a Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Cheese and Mushroom Stuffed Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive or canola oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1½ lbs ground meat beef, venison, turkey, pork
- ⅔ cup breadcrumbs cracker crumbs work well also
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp dried, ground sage
- 1½ cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and saute until translucent.
- Add garlic and mushrooms to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are soft and any liquid has evaporated. Cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix ground meat and next 6 ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the mixture in half. Press first half into bottom of a rectangular loaf pan.
- Spread mushroom mixture on top of meat. Sprinkle cheese on top of mushroom mixture.
- Press remaining meat on top of cheese forming the top of the loaf.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
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