My Mom's Vegetable "Meatloaf" with Checca Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 cups baby spinach fresh
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 1 medium carrots shredded
• 1  celery stalk thinly sliced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 2 cups brown rice cooked
• 15 ounce lentils rinsed cooked drained canned
• 0.5 cup corn kernels frozen thawed
• 1 large egg white lightly beaten
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 0.3 cup basil leaves fresh chopped
• 3  garlic cloves chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded low-fat
• 2 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin
• 3  scallions white green coarsely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes sliced
• 1 small onion white finely chopped

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• loaf pan
• cutting board

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine the cherry tomatoes, scallions, garlic, basil, oil, salt, and pepper. Pulse the tomatoes until they are coarsely chopped, being careful not to puree them.
2. Transfer the sauce to a bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 10 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
4. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
6. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
7. Transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly. Reserve the skillet.
8. In the same large skillet, cook the spinach over medium heat until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.
9. Drain and let cool slightly. Squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach.
10. Transfer the spinach to a cutting board and coarsely chop.
11. Add to the onion mixture.
12. Add the lentils, brown rice, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella, the corn, basil, eggs, egg white, salt, pepper, and 3/4 cup of the sauce to the cooled onion mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in 2 rows over the lentil mixture, covering the top completely.
13. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
14. Bake until the loaf is heated through and the topping is melted and starting to brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
15. Let cool for 15 minutes. Slice the loaf (still in the pan) into 1-inch slices, arrange on plates, and serve with the remaining sauce.
16. Giada's Feel Good Food
17. Reprinted from Giada's Feel Good Food Copyright © 2013 by GDL Foods Inc. Photographs copyright © 2013 by Amy Neunsinger. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House LLC. GIADA DE LAURENTIIS is the Emmy award-winning star of Food Network's Everyday Italian, Giada at Home, and Giada in Paradise; a judge on Food Network Star; a contributing correspondent for NBC's Today show; and the author of six New York Times bestselling books. She attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and worked at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant before starting her own catering company, GDL Foods. Born in Rome, she grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives with her husband, Todd, and their daughter, Jade.