The interior of this loaf will always remain a little pink because of the boiled ham. Use an instant read thermometer to make sure the ground meat mixture has reached a temperature of 160 degrees.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 slice bread, made into fine crumbs
- 1/2 cup tomato juice
- 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 8 thin slices boiled ham
- 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine eggs, bread crumbs, tomato juice, seasonings, and garlic and mix well. Add ground beef and mix gently but thoroughly until combined.
On an 18x12" piece of foil, shape beef mixture into a 12x10" rectangle. Arrange ham slices over meat, leaving a small margin around edges. Sprinkle cheeses over ham. Starting from the short end, carefully roll up meat, using the foil to help lift. Make sure you don't roll the foil into the meatloaf! Carefully place rolled meatloaf, seam side down, in a 13x9" pan. At this point you can cover the meatloaf well and refrigerate up to 6 hours.
Bake at 350 degrees for 70-80 minutes or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees. Make sure that the thermometer tip is in the ground beef, not the cheese or ham! Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Serves 8
