Italian Meatloaf

Throughout my cooking career, I've had limited success with meatballs, trying multiple recipes.  Some were tastier than others, and many fell apart while simmering in tomato sauce.  Forming and frying or baking meatballs is also time consuming.  Then I stumbled on the idea of Italian meatloaf--meatball flavor with the ease of a loaf!

The recipe that follows is my take on the Italian meatloaf from Desperation Entertaining and  a recipe for meatballs in Sunday gravy created by Cook's Illustrated.

Italian Meatloaf
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (more or less)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp Italian herb mix, optional
1 # ground beef, 93% lean
1-2 ounces prosciutto, chopped fine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup onion, minced
pasta sauce, optional

• Combine bread cubes, buttermilk, parsley, garlic, egg yolk, and spices.  Mash with a fork until no bread chunks remain.
• Add ground beef, prosciutto, Parmesan, and onion.  Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands.
• Pat mixture into a pan, cover with optional pasta sauce, and bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Notes:

• Use a high quality sandwich bread, like Arnold Country White or Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White.
• The Italian herb mix is optional.  You can wing it by combining oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, and/or cracked rosemary.
• I usually prepare this recipe times six (6# meat).  I'll bake 1/3 and freeze the rest (raw) in two separate gallon freezer bags.  I freeze them flat on a baking sheet so they'll store neatly and thaw quickly.
• If you try this x6, you'll have plenty of egg whites left.  Here's a source of ideas in case you want to use the whites instead of tossing them:  recipes.
• Prosciutto is expensive and flavorful, so I usually use the smaller amount listed.
• For best results, buy the tastiest Parmesan you can afford.  Real cheese is so much better than what comes in a can!
• If you're making a big batch, the food processor can be a huge help.  Use it to grate the Parmesan, if needed.  The parsley should be chopped next, followed by (in any order now) the onion, garlic, and prosciutto.
• At the bottom of this post I've typed in the ingredient amounts needed for a x6 batch.
• If you use more than 1# of meat, your loaf will of course take more than 30 minutes to bake.  If you're in a hurry, shape it into a ring instead of a slab:

Buon Appetito!

Italian Meatloaf x6
12 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley (more or less)
12 cloves garlic, crushed
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp Italian herb mix, optional
 6# ground beef, 93% lean
6-12 ounces prosciutto, chopped fine
3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups onion, minced
pasta sauce, optional