Most everyone loves pizza. Meatloaf? Maybe not. But why meatballs and not meatloaf? Why stuffed and flavored hamburgers and not meatloaf? Perhaps it’s the name, or perhaps it’s the look of it. But take all the familiar flavors of pizza and incorporate it into the loaf, roll it up with pepperoni and cheese and top with sauce and more cheese, and hopefully this recipe will change your mind about the humble meatloaf.
From AnkarsrumUSA recipe developer, Carmi Adams:
This recipe utilizes the meat mincer attachment. I went with chicken thighs for this meatloaf, instead of the more traditional ground beef. I liked the mild taste of chicken to use as a canvas for all the bolder pizza flavors.
When using the meat mincer, especially with poultry, it is ideal to cube the meat and let it chill in the freeze for 30-45 minutes. Meat that is very cold and slightly firm will have a better texture after being ground.
I chose to grind up some of the ingredients right along with the chicken to ensure flavor throughout. This also meant that I didn’t have to add any extra salt to the mixture, because a lot of the ingredients already have enough salt.
Often a bit of meat will get left behind in the mincer attachment. I like to solve this problem by using a little piece of toast to finish the grinding process off with. This also adds a little bit of fresh breadcrumbs to help soak up the juices as the meatloaf cooks.
Thoroughly mix with other ingredients:
There are actually loaf pans with an insert for baking meatloaf in. This lets all the excess fat drip off to the bottom. I like baking my meatloaf in this type of pan, but it isn’t necessary. However, if you do want the sauce and cheese to be on the top and slightly run down the sides of the meatloaf, a large loaf pan is needed. Make the meatloaf slightly smaller than the pan, so you have room to pour the sauce and sprinkle the cheese over it.
I found these big sandwich size pepperoni work best for the filling, especially when it comes time to slice into the meatloaf. They give it that nice swirled look inside.
Use the aluminum foil to help roll the loaf up, gently peeling it back as you roll.
Pat into a uniform size log. Place in loaf pan and at this point it can either be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or wrapped in foil and frozen for up to 2 months, or baked off.
Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. Happy cooking!
Pizza Meatloaf
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 75 minutes
906 g. (2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
29 g. (1 oz.) pitted olives
29 g. (1 oz.) sliced pepperoncini peppers
72 g. (2.5 oz.) jarred roasted red peppers
1 small slice plain bread, toasted
1 large egg
84 g. (3/4 cup) plain dry breadcrumbs
1 g. (1/2 tsp.) garlic powder
1 g. (1/2 tsp.) onion powder
4 g. (2 tsp.) dried oregano
226 g. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
12 large sandwich size or 20 regular size pepperoni slices
250 g. (1 cup) pizza or marinara sauce
Cut the chicken into 2 inch chunks and lay out on a sheet pan and place in the freezer, along with the metal meat mincer attachment components, and let chill for 30 minutes.
Assemble the meat mincer attachment. Place a large bowl underneath to catch freshly ground chicken. Run the chicken, olives, pepperoncini peppers and roasted red peppers through the attachment on high speed (6 o’clock), using the plunger to help push the ingredients through.
Tear the toasted slice of bread into chunks and feed through the mincer.
Add the egg, dry breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano to the freshly ground meat mixture. Thoroughly mix ingredients together. Let sit 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 10×5 inch loaf pan or a meatloaf pan. Lay out a long piece of heavy duty aluminum foil on the counter top.
Place the meatloaf mixture on the aluminum foil and pat out into a 9×12 inch rectangle.
Top with half of the cheese and the pepperoni slices. Using the aluminum foil to help, roll up the meatloaf into a uniform size log, starting at the shortest side and rolling upwards. Pat into a uniform log shape. Place into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes.
Pour pizza sauce on top and remaining sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake an additional 35-40 minutes.
Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing into.
Yield: 8 servings
