Pizza-Stuffed Meatloaf

Tonight I was at a loss as to what to make for dinner. I had 10 pounds of ground beef and turkey in front of me, waiting to be prepped for the freezer. But I just couldn't decide which option to go with for dinner. My menu plan and time schedule was a little off because I had just got back from a 3 1/2 hour dentist appointment.

Then, I remembered that I had some leftover pizza sauce and shredded mozzarella in the fridge from our pizza fondue dinner over the weekend. That started the gears turning and I decided to get creative. This is what I came up with. And let me just tell, it was absolutely working for our family tonight!

Pizza-Stuffed Meatloaf

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground meat (beef, turkey, or a combination of the two)
• 1 1/2 c. quick oats or breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 c. pizza sauce
• 2 t. each salt, Italian seasoning and garlic powder
• 2 t. Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 12 - 15 slices pepperoni
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Combine the ground meat, oats or breadcrumbs, egg, pizza sauce and seasonings.
2. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the green pepper, onion and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Press half of the meatloaf into the bottom of a loaf pan.4. Spread the cooked veggies on top of that. (If you don't like this combination of veggies, you can use any of your other favorite pizza toppings.)5. Layer the pepperoni on top of the veggies.6. Add 1/2 c. mozzarella on top of the pepperoni.7. Press the remaining 1/2 of the meatloaf mixture into the pan.8. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. (At this point, you can put the meatloaf in the refrigerator until an hour before dinner or just bake and eat.)9. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until meat is fully cooked.10. Let meatloaf rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.
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