Pasta-Stuffed Meatloaf: A Creative Combination Of Your Favorite Dishes

If you were to do a spontaneous survey on favorite meals, what do you think the top results would be? Anyone who loved mom's home cooking growing up will tell you meatloaf, while anyone who can barely boil water will tell you pasta. Since both dishes are so great, why not go ahead and combine them? Luckily for you, this hearty meal can easily be mastered by anyone, from single college students to professional chefs.

You'll need:

For the meatloaf:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper

For the pasta:

• olive oil for cooking
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 13½ fl oz tomato puree
• salt & pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 24½ oz cooked fusilli noodles

You'll also need:

• 5½ oz cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 9 oz shredded mozzarella
• 3 tbsp scallions, finely sliced

Here's how:

1. Combine the meatloaf ingredients and thoroughly knead it with your hands. Grease a springform pan and press the ground beef mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan.

2. Mix the pasta sauce ingredients together, as shown in the video, and let the sauce simmer over a low heat for 10-15 minutes. Then stir in the cooked fusilli noodles. 

3. Pour half of the pasta over the meatloaf, cover with cherry tomato slices, and sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on top. For the second layer, pour the remaining pasta over the cheese, and then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top.

4. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Sprinkle scallion slices on top of the stuffed meatloaf for a garnish that's pleasing to the eye (and the stomach!).

The composition of this tasty dish leaves nothing to be desired. After all, who could ever say no to a childhood-inspired favorite?

You can find the recipe for the Pasta Cake with Grilled Eggplant featured in the bonus video here.