Delicious with pasta or mashed potatoes, a basic meatloaf gets a special twist to make the family smile at the dinner table!
Ingredients
1 large egg
⅓ cup quick cooking oats
⅓ cup shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)
¼ cup panko or regular bread crumbs
3 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup grated cheese (mozzarella, havarti, cheddar...whatever you like)
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
1½ lbs ground chicken (or ground turkey or beef)
⅓ cup pasta sauce or BBQ sauce (I used a combination of the two)
Additional white cheese for "stitching" decoration
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 2-qt / 8x11" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Lightly beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the oats, carrot, panko, milk, Parmesan, grated cheese, and seasonings. Stir to mix well.
Add ground meat and mix well with a fork or your hands.
Gather the chicken mixture into a ball, place it in the prepared baking dish, and shape it with your hands into a football shape, about 2" thick.
Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven, and top evenly with pasta sauce or BBQ sauce. Return to oven for another 5-10 minutes, until cooked through.
Meanwhile, cut some cheese into strips to resemble football stitching (1 long piece and several short pieces). When meatloaf is done, transfer to serving platter and top with the cheese strips to complete the football look.
Recipe by Hidden Ponies at https://hiddenponies.com/2013/03/meatloaf-magic/