Italian Meatloaf

Supper tasty meatloaf even the kids will love!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Boiling Water
1/2 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes (dried ones)
1/2 Cup Marinara for meat loaf
1 Cup breadcrumbs
3/4 Cup Chopped fresh Basil
1/2 Cup Quattro Formaggio cheese (grated)
2 Large eggs beaten
1 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 Cup grated Zucchini (optional, or add more for more veggies)

Directions:

• Combine boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes until soft.  Drain and finely chop tomatoes.
•  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine remaining ingredients, mix well in a bowl.
• Spray baking dish or cookie sheet with cooking spray (Pam).
• Shape meat into a 9"x5" loaf
• Spread 1/3 Cup Marinara on top
• Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
• Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing
• Serve with Pasta

This meal was a hit for all of us!  The fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes give this so much flavor!

On a little side note, my sweet buddy H has never been much of a meat eater.  He even went through a stage that he could be labeled a true vegetarian.  H is very sensitive to texture; we have been working on slowly introducing meat over the last few years.  This was the first time he voluntarily ate ground beef.  I think the reason is 2 fold:
1. I had him help me make dinner.  He was in charge of getting the basil off of the plant, and he also helped grate the zucchini and mix all of the ingredients together (before I added the egg and ground beef).  Not only is it fun with our little ones to have them help in the kitchen, I think it also makes a meal more enticing to try if they were a part of making it.  He was so proud to tell Daddy that he had helped!
2.  This is just a tasty meal, that he kept having more bites.

Either way, I am just thankful that H enjoyed dinner!