The inspiration for this meat loaf was a recipe in an Italian cookbook. The original recipe was for a “zucchini mold,” and it had only a tiny bit of meat in it. I thought to myself, “How could adding more ground beef be a problem here?” And I was right; it’s very moist and flavorful.
YIELD: 5 servings, each with 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 29 grams of protein.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium zucchini, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the zucchini, onion, and garlic in it for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Let the veggies cool a bit, then put them in a big bowl with the beef, parsley, egg, cheese, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands, mix thoroughly.
- Take the rather soft meat mixture and put it in a big loaf pan, if you like, or form the loaf right on a broiler rack so the grease will drip off. (Keep in mind if you do it this way, your loaf won’t stand very high, it’ll be about 2 inches thick.)
- Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the juices run clear but the loaf is not dried out.
