Note:
This is as about as spectacular as meatloaf gets. Stuffed with a cheesy spinach filling and rolled it's as impressive as it is delicious. It's also a sneaky way to get kids to eat spinach.

In a hurry?
Subsitute your favorite bottled pasta sauce for the home made version here.

Sauce:
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. dried basil
2 cans (19 oz.each) chopped tomatoes, undrained
5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional for those who like a little heat)

Filling:
6 C fresh spinach
1 egg
1 C Ricotta cheese
1/2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 T Parmesan cheese, grated
3 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T milk
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Meat:
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C bread crumbs
3 T Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sauce: Cook onion and garlic over medium heat until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/2 C tomato paste and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes, continuing to stir often. Season to taste with salt and pepper and, if desired, crushed red pepper. Set aside.

Filling: Wash spinach. Shake off excess water but do not dry. Place spinach in a saucepan with no additional water, cover and cook over medium-high heat until just wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Mix together egg, cheeses, parsley, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meat: Mix together all ingredients except meat. Combine with the meat and mix well. Cut two large sheets of waxed or parchment paper. Roll meat mixture into a 18" X 8" rectangle and remove top layer of paper.

Leaving a 1" border on all sides, spread a layer of spinach over meat, followed by cheese mixture and 1 cup of sauce.

Roll meat from the short end, just like you would when making a jellyroll cake, lifting the paper out of the way as you go. Don't worry if some of the filling oozes out, just tuck it back in. Carefully tranfer roll, seam side up, to a 9" X 5"

loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until temperature on a meat thermometer reaches 145F. Let stand for 20 minutes before removing from pan. Drain off excess fat, remove from pan. Serve in slices, covered in the remaining tomato sauce.

Note: Ricotta Salata is a dry, crumbly cheese similar to feta, but less salty.

Serves 6-8

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut the bread into 1 inch slices and place them directly on a rack in the center of the oven to toast for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Combine all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Tear the toasted bread into bite sized pieces, and distribute half of them over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Pour half the tomato vinaigrette mixture over the bread, then add a second layer of bread. Spread the remaining salad over the top and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour, to let the bread soak up the flavors and juices. Serve on small plates, or if it is very juicy, spoon it into bowls.