This delicious Italian meatloaf has been passed down for generations in our family and it's the perfect family dinner. Made with ground beef, breadcrumbs, herbs, parmesan and a red sauce, it's a flavorful twist on traditional meatloaf. It is easy and makes the best leftovers too!
Growing up in an Italian family, we just knew of this dish as meatloaf and we certainly ate lots of it. Not to be confused with other classic American meatloaf recipes. This super simple meatloaf tastes like a meatball but in a free-form style that is baked in the oven and topped with Italian marinara sauce.
This is a traditional Italian recipe since you can find this dish in Italy, which the Italians call, polpettone meaning "big meatball". Honestly, it really is like a big meatball!
In Italy, I have seen it made like meatloaf but with different fillings in the center, usually hard boiled eggs or stuffed with cheese. I've also seen it in the shape of a hamburger (weird, I know!) I learned that the interpretation of this dish is wide and loose.
The best part about this recipe and why I love it so much is it is so much easier than making meatballs and simple enough to make for a weeknight dinner.
What You Will Need
(full recipe and quantities below)
- Ground Chuck and Ground Sirloin: We always use a mixture of the two for flavor and to keep the meatloaf moist. If you want to reduce the calories, just use ground sirloin since it has less fat.
- Parmesan cheese: The good stuff, Reggiano.
- Large eggs
- Fresh Italian bread crumbs: My Nana always used day-old bread that she ground up herself into fine crumbs. You can do this or use bread crumbs from the store. If I use bread crumbs from the store, I prefer to use Panko bread crumbs since it absorbs the moisture from the meat better helping keep the meatloaf moist.
- Garlic: Finely minced
- Kosher salt
- Fresh Basil
- Really good marinara: This sauce in this recipe is made with San Marzano tomatoes and simple ingredients. The recipe is below with the instructions.
How To Make Italian Meatloaf
- Prep: Prepare the garlic, shred the Parmesan, and gather all of the ingredients you will need.
- Mix: In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together except the eggs. Once those ingredients are well combined, add the eggs and mix again.
- Form Meatloaf: This is the fun part! Take the meatloaf mixture and place it in your baking dish and form it into an oval shape.
- Cover in sauce: Pour a good amount of tomato sauce over the top making sure to cover all of the meat.
- Bake: Bake the meatloaf in the oven for about 50 -60 minutes. By this time, the tomato sauce on top will have thickened and you will have nice caramelization around the edges of the meatloaf. Let the meatloaf rest for about 5 minutes before slicing to let the juices redistribute back into the meat.
Recipe Tips
- Use a baking dish that has sides as opposed to a sheet pan so the sauce is contained in the pan.
- Make extra San Marzano tomato sauce for serving with the meatloaf since the sauce that is poured over it during baking will thicken.
- Try to make your own breadcrumbs. In Italy (which is why my Nana did this as well) breadcrumbs are made from day-old bread which is not really the same as the dry breadcrumbs you get at the store. If you have day-old bread, whether it is baguette, ciabatta or country bread, throw it into the food processor and make your own.
- If you have extra meatloaf and want to save it for a meal the next day, just cover it well and refrigerate it. You can heat it covered in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. It also makes the most amazing meatloaf sandwiches sliced up and place on hoagie rolls.
- Best Time To Add Eggs To Meatloaf: Eggs are not added to the other ingredients until the end of mixing. My grandmother taught me this is because you want to make sure all of the ingredients are well mixed together with the meat first.
Italian Sides For Meatloaf!
The Easiest And Most Delicious Italian Meatloaf
This delicious Italian meatloaf has been passed down for generations in our family. Made with ground beef, breadcrumbs, herbs, parmesan and a red sauce, it's a flavorful twist on traditional meatloaf. It is easy and makes the best leftovers too!
Equipment
- 1 9x11 baking dish
Ingredients
Italian Meatloaf
- 1 lb Ground chuck
- 1 lb Ground Sirloin
- 1 ½ cups Fresh bread crumbs day old Italian bread pulsed in the food processor until fine crumbs.
- 1 ½ cups Parmesan Cheese finely grated
- 2 cups Tomato Sauce store-bought or homemade
- 3 Large eggs lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoon Garlic finely minced
- 2 tablespoon Fresh basil leaves finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Tomato Sauce
- 28 ounces san marzano tomatoes canned whole
- ½ yellow onion diced very fine
- 2 cloves garlic diced very fine
- 1 ½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 fresh basil leaves
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Making The Meatloaf
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl except the eggs.1 lb Ground chuck, 1 lb Ground Sirloin, 1 ½ cups Fresh bread crumbs, 1 ½ cups Parmesan Cheese, 3 tablespoon Garlic, 2 tablespoon Fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Mix well.
- Now add the eggs and mix well again.3 Large eggs
- Place meat into a 9x11 baking dish and form into an oval that almost fills the dish.
- Pour 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the top. Reserve the remaining tomato sauce for serving.2 cups Tomato Sauce
- Place in a preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until the meatloaf is firm and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1 inch thick slices and serve with some of the reserved marinara over the top.
Tomato Sauce
- In a large saute pan add your olive oil.1 ½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Now add your red pepper flakes, onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ yellow onion diced very fine
- Add your garlic and cook for one more minute.2 cloves garlic diced very fine
- Add your whole canned tomatoes to the pan.28 ounces san marzano tomatoes canned whole
- With a potato masher (or bottom of a mug) mash down the tomatoes gently. It can get a little messy so do this part slowly.
- Keep mashing down the tomatoes until they are mostly broken down.
- Stir the tomatoes into the olive oil mixture well.
- Add your salt, oregano and basil and stir.2 fresh basil leaves, ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and let simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to thicken.
- Taste the sauce for any additional salt.
Nutrition
Calories: 499kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 33gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 1272mgPotassium: 706mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 526IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 332mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Annie says
My family loved this!
kisitalian says
So glad to hear that Annie! Thank you for sharing 🙂