Amazing Italian Meatloaf is easier to make than you think.
I told you this would be a site that included real-food recipes. That means it’s time to bust out my old-school Italian meatloaf recipe for you to try at home.
I have even gotten people who don’t eat hamburgers or beef to try this out and they liked it too.
Ready for it?
So, here is the way to get it done.
You’ll Need:
1.5 lbs Beef
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Italian Breadcrumbs
Either a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes or a can of mild Rotel for a little kick
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/3 Cup Ketchup
3-4 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Sliced Onion
2 Chopped Carrots
Big Spoonful of Ricotta Cheese
Big Spoonful of Brown Sugar
Big Spoonful of Worcestershire Sauce
5-6 Pieces of Bacon
Dashes of Paprika, Dijon Mustard, Cracked Black Pepper, Pepper Flakes, Tumeric, Chives/Cilantro
Olive Oil & Butter
For Topping:
Marinara Sauce
1/4 Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
Chives
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In a large bowl put in beef and season with Paprika, Tumeric and Black Pepper
In a large medium-hot skillet add a splash Olive Oil and a pat of butter and add Onions, Garlic, and Carrots. As they start to sweat add can of tomatoes or Rotel to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes.
In a mixing bowl beat the 2 eggs and add Pepper Flakes, Cilantro, Brown Sugar, Worcestershire and ketchup and mix well.
Add everything together to the beef bowl and mix in Grated Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs as if you were getting them to meatball or hamburger consistency. (not to dry and not too wet)
In a decent-sized casserole dish mold the meatloaf so it is not overwhelmingly high in the pan. You will need to drain it and you don’t want it to be higher than 2-3 inches in the dish.
Cover the entire casserole dish with raw bacon strips. (That will also provde all the salt you will need)
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Heat Oven to 400 degrees, cover meatloaf with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Take the meatloaf out of the oven and drain the dish into a safe place. Poke the entire meatloaf with a fork so the meat cooks evenly throughout for the next phase.
Lower the heat to 375 and cook uncovered for another 45-60 minutes depending on how well you like it done. (Check grease levels every 15 minutes and be sure to put something under the dish so it doesn’t run over into the oven bottom or on the rack)
After baking, let sit for 5-10 minutes and top meatloaf with Marinara, Pecorino Romano cheese and Chives.
Mangia!
You will enjoy this to no end and it is easy to serve with mashed potatoes. Corn on the cob works alongside too and you won’t need gravy for this Italian Meatloaf!
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