I love surprises, even in my food. It’s fun to watch the surprise on people’s faces when I cut into the meatloaf. This loaf has a little Greek flair to it, without going too far. It also omits the bread crumbs that often wind up in meatloaf.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound 80/20 ground beef
1 pound ground pork (or lamb if it’s available)
1 raw egg
4 boiled eggs
½ cup chopped green onions
4 ounces feta cheese, finely crumbled
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, fresh or dried
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Optional: ½ cup finely chopped spinach
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried mint
½ cup chopped olives
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Bacon (for top of meatloaf)

Directions:

Start boiling 4 eggs.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the ground beef and pork or lamb in a large bowl.
Set aside enough green onions and cheese to garnish the top of the loaf. Mix the rest of the green onions, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and any or all of the optional ingredients you decide on in a separate bowl.
Crumble the ground beef and pork or lamb and mix together. Sprinkle the green onion mixture evenly over the ground meat, and knead together until the meats and other ingredients are evenly mixed.
Now, add the wet ingredients – 1 egg, the olive oil and tomato paste and mix in evenly.
The more you knead the meatloaf, the more dense the meatloaf will be. If you like a solid, dense meatloaf, kneat for a few minutes after the ingredients are well-mixed. If not, stop when everything is well-mixed.
Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray, preferably olive oil flavor.
Pack a little less than half of the meat mixture into the pan.
Cut the white ends off the eggs so every slice will have yellow showing.
Place the eggs in a row in the center of the meatloaf.
Add the rest of the meatloaf mix, being sure to pack it down on the sides, and making a nicely rounded top.

If you want to cover with bacon, do it before you put it in the oven.  With this seasoning, I often ignore the bacon.

Bake until meatloaf is lightly browned, usually 50 minutes to an hour, sprinkle the reserved cheese on top and put back in the oven for 10 minutes to brown the cheese.
Take the pan out of the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes, then carefully take the meatloaf out and put it on a plate.
Sprinkle on the rest of the green onions, slice, and serve.
Barely steamed spinach or raw spinach salad is a great accompaniment.