Venison Italian Meatloaf

Ok so I settled on a venison italian meatloaf. Here's the recipe I used.

2 lbs ground venison
1 lb ground italian sausage
3 tbs oregno
3 tbs basil
1 tbs italian seasoning
6 whole black peppercorns
1 tbs kosher salt
1 tsp bay leaf or 1 whole bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic
2 chopped onions
1 lb rigatta cheese
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
24 oz of spaghetti or marinara sauce
1 lb mozzerella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Take the spices and grind them fine in your spice grinder (really well cleaned out coffee grinder). In the food processor and add the garlic and chopped onions and process until very fine, almost a paste. Add rigotta and half the parmesan cheese and process until mixed. Add the spices and mix throuroughly, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula. Place venison and sausage in a large bowl and gently mix together with your hands. Add the cheese mixture a bit at a time mixing as you go. I added it in 3 additions.Add your breadcrumbs and mix with your hands until well blended. Oil a baking dish or loaf pans with olive oil and place meatloaf inside, pressing into desired shape. Cover with 1/2 of spaghetti sauce. Bake for 45 minutes at 350. Cover with mozzerella cheese and place back into the oven for 15 minutes so that cheese is melted and starting to brown. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Serve with extra spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese to taste.

Notes.
I served this with a pasta and sauce and some garlic bread as well. Came out really good. I made a bed of pasta and placed the meatloaf on top. Added a bit more sauce and cheese, and it was killer. This recipe makes a lot! You will have leftovers!

Tips
 This could also be done with beef, but I would use a lean cut. If your store has a good meat department (like stater brothers) you can get london broil on sale for like $1.69 a lb quite often. A great trick is to ask them to grind it up for you. I use this in my tacos, enchiladas and chili and it adds a great steak flavor. And its cheaper than regular ground beef to boot!