Italian Meatloaf
I was craving meatloaf so I decided to try a new recipe from Michael Chiarello instead of my usual meatloaf recipe. I found this recipe for an Italian meatloaf that looked and sounded terrific. It was very easy to put together, it smelled amazing while it baked, and it turned out really moist and tender. We all liked the meatloaf and it paired well with potatoes & greens I served with it (recipes to post soon).
How to Make Italian Meatloaf
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until tender; about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let them cool.
Combine the ground beef with the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, and balsamic vinegar along with the onion mixture. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; combine gently with your fingers until evenly mixed – be sure not to over mix. Pack the mixture into the loaf pan. Spread the marinara sauce evenly over the top of the loaf.
Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tsp canola oil
- ½ sweet yellow onion finely diced
- 2 baby bell peppers finely diced
- 3 button mushrooms finely diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ¾ cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cup of Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 1 cup of marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Combine the ground beef with the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar along with the onion mixture. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; combine gently with your fingers until evenly mixed - be sure not to over mix. Pack the mixture into the loaf pan. Spread the marinara sauce evenly over the top of the loaf. Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Now I’m craving meatloaf too!! Hubby thinks its funny, but I’d MUCH rather have a good meatloaf than a steak!! Thanks for sharing this.
It look like delicious…. I love polpettone
Looks very good. My husband never tires of meatloaf!
NOMS NOMS NOMS!
I have a confession to make- I have never been a meatloaf fan. I have only made it (and eaten it) once in my life, and didn’t really care for it. That said, this meatloaf sounds so delicious that I think I will have to give meatloaf another try! I love every ingredient in this recipe, so I don’t see why I won’t love it. Thanks for making me want to try meatloaf again, Pam!
Yum! That looks really good Pam. I never had an Italian meatloaf before. I don’t make meatloaf too often, but this one sounds and looks great! Thanks for sharing!
Your meatloaf caught my eye!!, looks so delicious!!
What’s a loaf “man”? tee hee
It’s been ages since I’ve made meatloaf…. This is a great new twist on a classic. Can’t wait to try it!
“looked and sounded terrific” – I sure agree with you and like the marinara on top rather than ketchup.
I absolutely love meatloaf, but for some reason never make it. This recipe looks fabulous and now I’m totally craving it!
I’m really surprised that the meatloaf was tender with only beef. I must give this one a try, we usually add pork.
oh WOW –that looks delicious! I don’t eat a lot of meatloaves but this one looks YUM!
And with two slices of Italian bread and a slice of cheese, I have my favorite sandwich! If you hear someone bumping around in your kitchen in a few minutes, pay no mind. I’m just raiding your fridge for leftovers.
I love meat loaf, thanks for reminding me how good they are. Take care Diane
mmm, i have a sudden craving for meatloaf. this looks just delicious!
I love that there are actual veggies mixed into this! Extra nutrients AND extra flavor = WIN.
This sounds very nice especially since it doesn’t have ketchup slathered all over it. For a southwest variant simply replace the marinara with salsa in whatever heat setting your family prefers.
There are so many awesome meatloaf variations out there. I have made the Michael Chiarello one before too, and it was delicious. Another variation I like combines ground turkey with turkey Italian Sausage. I always add some onion, peppers, spinach for the veggies in it. Then add bread crumbs, and egg or two (depending on how much I am making) and some parmesan cheese. We always serve it with a marinara sauce too.
There is something about meatloaf when the weather begins to get colder. It’s so comforting.
Pam this meatloaf look delicious!!
It seems like Italian is a hit with just about everyone I know. This looks delicious!
I made turkey meatloaf last night and loved it–this looks fabulous!
What a delicious and different meatloaf! I’ll definitely be trying this soon.
Yum that looks delicious and would probably make an awesome sandwich with the leftovers. I wish my husband liked meatloaf.
I have to ask how you don’t have a basil plant! You use so much of it that those silly little packets don’t make a lot of sense 🙂
You have me at some meatloaf! Looks fantastic!
I totally have a hankering for meatloaf now!
I have to give t a try, as I never thought of meatloaf with peppers and all the delicious flavours that you combined. Fabulous!!
Cheers,
Lia.
Excellent recipe. I’m not usually a meatloaf fan, and have never been that wild about my mom’s or my wife’s. But I love Italian so thought I would try this. Fantastic. Leftover also good broken up in marinara sauce for pasta, adds a meatball flavor