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Photo of Mini Italian meatloaves with penne and sautéed zucchini by WW

Mini Italian meatloaves with penne and sautéed zucchini

6
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
50 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
It’s a meatball in meatloaf form. Paired with whole grain pasta and garlicky zucchini, this meal is sure to satisfy your craving for Italian food while keeping things on the lighter side. Small zucchini are a good choice for this recipe because they generally have better flavor than larger ones. If the zucchini starts to stick to the pan, remove the pan from the heat and coat with cooking spray; finish cooking as directed in the recipe. If you’d like to experiment with different flavors, try substituting fresh basil or oregano for the parsley in the meatloaf mixture. You can also stir some of the fresh herbs into the zucchini as it sautés, too.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2 spray(s), MEATLOAVES

Uncooked lean ground beef

1¼ pound(s), (93% lean/7% fat)

Egg

2 large egg(s)

Grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup(s)

Seasoned breadcrumbs

¼ cup(s), Italian style

Fresh parsley

¼ cup(s), finely chopped

Kosher salt

¾ tsp

Black pepper

⅛ tsp, freshly ground, or to taste

Store-bought marinara sauce

1½ cup(s), divided PASTA

Kosher salt

¼ tsp

Uncooked whole wheat pasta

8 oz, penneZUCCHINI

Olive oil

1 tsp, extra virgin

Garlic

2 clove(s), thinly sliced

Uncooked zucchini

2 small, chopped (about 3 cups)

Kosher salt

½ tsp, or to tasteGARNISH

Grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, combine beef, eggs, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper until well-combined (do not over mix). Divide beef mixture into 6 even portions and form into mini loaves; place on prepared baking sheet. Spoon 3 tablespoons marinara sauce over each loaf and bake until cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes; allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Once pasta is cooked, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta cooking liquid and then drain pasta.
  4. While pasta and meatloaves cook, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Once garlic begins to brown, add zucchini; increase heat to medium-high and cook zucchini, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft, about 6 to 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and then add pasta and reserved cooking liquid to pan; stir to combine and cook for 1 minute to heat through.
  5. Heat remaining marinara sauce; spoon 1 tablespoon sauce over each meatloaf before serving. Yields 1 meatloaf, about 1 cup pasta-zucchini mixture and 1/2 teaspoon cheese garnish per serving.

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