Oooey Gooey Ham and Cheese Stuffed Baby Meatloaves

I love rolling up food. Don't know why. I do. And for some reason - beyond all logic - my kids will eat food that is 'rolled' when they'd turn their cute little noses up at the same thing unrolled.

Good deli ham and great Swiss cheese make this silly little meatloaf a knockout. Make them small, and they're just plain pretty when sliced. The cheese melts so you don't see the 'roll' much - but on the other hand every bite is redolent of cheesy lovliness.

The other cool thing is that these freeze - just thaw them before you bake them as usual. So if you don't feed the ravenous hordes that I do, make the full size batch and freeze what you don't need. They'll keep for about two months well wrapped.

2.5 pounds ground chuck
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
1/4 cup parsley
2 large cloves garlic
2 medium tomatoes, seeded
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg
2 tbl Worcestershire sauce
2-3 dashes hot sauce
1 tbl SOS *see blog post on SOS

6 slices deli ham, very thin
6 slices Swiss cheese, very thin, Gruyere or Emmentaler if you can find it

Glaze
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1. In the bowl of a food processor, put onion, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, oats, egg, Worcestershire and hot sauces and SOS. Process until you have a paste.
2. Transfer vegetable/oat mixture to the bowl of a mixer (or a mixing bowl to mix by hand), and add ground beef. Mix just until combined - do not over-mix!
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
   
4. Divide mixture into six equal portions. On a cutting board, pat out one portion into a square a little larger than your cheese and ham slices. You need about 1 inch on all sides. Cover each square with a slice of ham, then a slice of cheese, placing them closer to one end than the other. On that end, carefully roll up ground beef mixture to enclose the ham and cheese. Pat gently into a loaf shape, making sure both ends are sealed. You don't want your cheese to escape during baking!
5. Repeat until you have six little loaves. Place them on a roasting rack over a sheet pan. Whisk together glaze ingredients and brush over top of each meatloaf. Bake for 40 minutes.
6. Allow meatloaves to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
   

Note - you can also add a layer of spinach on top of the cheese - it's really pretty and for some reason the kiddos don't seem to notice it much.