italian meatloaf

What You'll Need

One lb. ground beef
One half lb. ground mild Italian sausage
One small onion, finely chopped
One half C. chopped bell pepper (I used orange, it was all I had in the freezer)
One tsp. olive oil
One tsp. Worcestershire sauce
One clove garlic, minced
One half tsp. oregano
One half tsp. basil
One half tsp. parsley
One egg, beaten
Three quarter C. Italian bread crumbs
Two slices white bread, crumbled
One T. milk
Eight oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, reserve Three quarter C. for topping
One quarter C. parmesan cheese
One C. marinara sauce, plus One half -Three quarter C. more for topping

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over med. high heat and sauté the onion and bell pepper for Three-Four minutes, remove from heat.
In a large bowl, add the meats, onion and peppers along with all remaining ingredients reserving Three quarter C.
mozzarella cheese for topping.
Now, dive in there with the best tools God gave you, your hands and combine everything really good.
Once it has all come together, place and mold the mixture in a baking dish of your choice.
I used my oval Portuguese stoneware for ours. Spoon One half to Three quarter C. of the marinara sauce on top and spread around.
Place in a 400 degree oven for 50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle a little dry basil over the top.
Return to the oven for Ten more minutes.
Make sure the meat is not pink before serving, baking time will vary depending on the thickness of your loaf.
Mine was about Two" thick.