Meatloaf Roll

1 . Stage

To make tomato sauce, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat; cook and stir the onion, green pepper, and celery in the hot oil until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Pour the undrained whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, sugar, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and water into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the tomato mixture into the saucepan and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/4 cup parsley. Set aside.

2 . Stage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

3 . Stage

In a bowl, mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, Creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, and salt until the mixture is thoroughly combined; spread into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

4 . Stage

Scatter the mozzarella cheese over the meat; spread 1/4 cup of the sauce over the cheese. Sprinkle the sauce with 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Pick up one end of the meat layer (short side), and gently roll the meat around the filling. Reposition the meat roll in the center of the dish, and pour the remaining tomato sauce over the roll.

5 . Stage

Bake in the preheated oven until the roll is no longer pink in the center, 45 minutes to 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).