Queen of Sheba Meatloaf
Submitted by chassaxy
Layered lamb and Italian sausage meatloaf baked in a Bundt pan with bulgur wheat, pine nuts, pistachios, and Middle Eastern spices like allspice, cinnamon, and mint. A showstopping ring-shaped meatloaf.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
60 minREADY
75 minThis is not your grandmother’s meatloaf. Baked in a Bundt pan and inverted onto a platter, it comes out as a dramatic ring with three distinct layers: spiced lamb mixed with bulgur wheat on the outside, a hot Italian sausage filling deglazed with vermouth and lime in the middle, and a hidden stripe of toasted pine nuts and pistachios between them.
The spice blend reads like a map of the eastern Mediterranean: allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, rosemary, and fennel seeds. Bulgur wheat soaked and squeezed dry gets mixed into the lamb, adding texture and keeping the loaf moist without making it heavy. A touch of sesame oil and ketchup rounds out the binding.
The Bundt pan is the genius move here. It ensures even cooking throughout (no raw center) and when you flip it onto a serving platter, it looks like something from a catering spread.
Chef Tips
- Squeeze the soaked bulgur very dry before mixing with the lamb. Excess water loosens the mixture and the layers won’t hold.
- Press each layer firmly into the Bundt pan. Loose packing leads to a meatloaf that crumbles when inverted.
- Let it rest a full 15 minutes before flipping. The juices redistribute and the loaf holds its shape.
- Remove the bay leaves before serving. They’re for aroma during baking, not for eating.
Variations
- Swap lamb for ground beef if you prefer a milder flavor, though you’ll lose some of the Middle Eastern character.
- Add dried cranberries to the nut layer for pops of tart sweetness.
- Serve with a yogurt-tahini sauce drizzled over the ring for a cool, tangy contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃)F.
Thoroughly coat a Bundt pan with olive oil.
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add the garlic and onions.
Sauté until the onions are transluscent, about 3 minutes.
Add the parsley and fennel seeds.
Remove half the onion mixture and combine with the ground lamb in a large bowl.
Set aside the other half of the onion mixture.
Add the ground sausage to the sauté pan, and brown.
Add the lime juice and vermouth.
Remove from the heat.
Add this mixture to the reserved onion mixture.
Set aside.
Squeeze the excess water from the bulur wheat.
Mix with the lamb.
Add the eggs, ketchup, sesame oil, mint, allspice, rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
Mix well.
Divide this mixture in half.
Press half the lamb mixture into the pan.
Arrange the sausage mixture on top of the lamb.
Sprinkle the pine nuts and pistachios evenly over the sausage layer.
Press the other half of the lamb mixture on top of the nut layer.
Dot the loaf with the remaining tablespoon of butter and place the broken bay leaves on top of the loaf.
Bake for 1 hour or until done.
Remove the bay leaves.
Let the loaf sit for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a round serving platter.
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