A family style Meatloaf recipe with a Southern Italian Twist! Ground beef mixed with onion, garlic, peppers, sun dried tomatoes, Sicilian olives, pine nuts, parsley, basil, and Pecorino Romano cheese. Baked with a Marinara tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese.Jump to Recipe
How can I describe Italian-style Meatloaf?? Well, let’s just say, that if a meatball and a meatloaf had a bambino, this recipe would be their little bundle of joy. Italian-style meatloaf is a big family-style dinner dream come true. Using key ingredients commonly found in Southern Italian cuisine, like pine nuts, broccoli rabe, Sicilian olives, and sun dried tomatoes; this reimagined meatloaf is sure to be one add to your favorites.
Oh, and here’s a little leftover tip: we seared slices of meatloaf, layered on toasted ciabatta rolls with more fresh mozzarella cheese, sauce, and some leftover broccoli rabe and made the best Italian meatloaf sandwiches! Mama Mia!
Ingredients for Italian Style Meatloaf
- Ground Beef: I used a ground chuck with a 80/20 fat percentage. Anytime you are making meatloaf or meatballs, use a higher fat ground beef to get a juicer and more flavorful result.
- Eggs: used for binding along with the breadcrumbs
- Fresh Bread crumbs: Use old Italian bread in a food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs
- Heavy cream: The mixture of milk and breadcrumbs, often referred to as a “panade,” creates a binding paste that helps to create a light and tender texture.
- Broccoli Rabe: this dark leafy green is often used in southern Italian cuisine, it adds complexity in flavor to the meatloaf as well as bumping up the nutritional content. It can be omitted, but I recommend giving it a try!
- Olive oil: used to sauté the vegetables
- Onion, Cubenelle Pepper, Carrot, garlic: essential aromatics to add flavor. You will first sauté with olive oil, then pulse in a food processor for a fine mince that will evenly distribute into the meatloaf.
- Castelvetrano olives: a type of green olive originating from the town of Castelvetrano in Sicily, Italy. They are known for their mild, buttery flavor and crisp texture.
- Pine nuts: toasted lightly, then pulsed in food processor. Pine nuts are another common southern Italian ingredient, they add a nutty, slightly sweet taste that complements the savory meat.
- Sun dried tomatoes: adds a bright, sweet, umami tomato flavor
- Fresh Parsley and Fresh Basil: I highly recommend using fresh herbs for this recipe.
- Pecorino Romano: grated Parmesan will also work
- Mozzarella cheese: used on top of meatloaf while baking for a melty cheesy top
- Salt and Red Pepper flakes: because, always!
How to Make Italian Style Meatloaf
Sauté onion in 2 tbsp olive oil, 5-7 minutes until soft. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add canned crushed tomatoes (use 2 cans if you are making pasta to go along with the meal.) Fill an empty can about ½ way with water and swish around to get all the tomato remnants from the sides of the can, and add water to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and fresh basil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper to your liking.
Cube ciabatta bread, use a food processor to grind down into bread into crumbs. Add to a large mixing bowl with the cream, and mix to combine.
- Boil Broccoli Rabe in salted water for 5-6 minutes. Remove and use a towel to squeeze out extra water. Pulse broccoli rabe in a food processor and add to the large mixing bowl.
In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onion, pepper, and carrots in 1 tbsp olive oil to soften, about 7 minutes.
Add softened vegetables to food processor. Add pine nuts to the pan and lightly toast, about 45 seconds until just fragrant, then add to the food processor. Also add olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh parsley, and basil. Close and then pulse all ingredients down into fine a mince. Add to the large mixing bowl.
Close and then pulse all ingredients down into fine a mince.
Add to the large mixing bowl. Then add grated cheese, salt, and pepper, then taste and adjust salt if needed.
Add eggs and ground beef. Mix thoroughly to make the meatloaf.
Transfer meatloaf to baking dish. Form, press, and pat into an approximately 11×6 inch rectangle. Try to avoid the loaf touching the edges of the baking dish.
Position an oven rack into the upper ⅓ of the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and add about 2 cups of marinara sauce to the baking dish and top the semi-cooked meatloaf with shredded mozzarella cheese.
When cooking is complete, the cheese will be melted and browned, the sauce will be bubbling around the edges, and the internal temperature of the meatloaf will read 165.
Use the remaining marinara sauce to serve with pasta and spoon over meatloaf when serving. Garnish with more grated cheese and chopped parsley.
Italian Style Meatloaf with Marinara Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2½ lbs Ground chuck 80/20
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup Bread crumbs fresh ground from baguette or ciabatta bread
- ½ cup Heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 cup Broccoli Rabe cooked
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup onion roughly chopped
- ½ cup Cubenelle pepper roughly chopped
- ½ cup Carrot roughly chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic chopped
- ⅛ cup castelvetrano olives without pits
- ⅛ cup Pine nuts lightly toasted
- ¼ cup Sundried tomato roughly roughly chopped
- 1 handful Fresh Parsley
- 6 leaves fresh Basil
- ½ cup grated Romano cheese or Parmesan
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Crushed red pepper
- 8 oz shredded Mozzarella
Marinara Sauce
- 2 26.5 oz cans Crushed tomatoes plus water San Marzano DOP certified preferable. *Use 1 can only if not serving Meatloaf with pasta.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup onion
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 stalk fresh basil with leaves
- ½ tsp salt or more to taste
- ¼ tsp pepper or more
Instructions
Marinara Sauce
- Sauté onion in 2 tbsp olive oil, 5-7 minutes until soft. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add canned crushed tomatoes (use 2 cans if you are making pasta to go along with the meal.) Fill an empty can about ½ way with water and swish around to get all the tomato remnants from the sides of the can, and add water to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and fresh basil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper to liking
Italian Style Meatloaf
- Cube ciabatta bread, use a food processor to grind down into bread into crumbs. Add to large mixing bowl with the cream, and mix to combine.
- Boil Broccoli Rabe in salted water for 5-6 minutes. Remove and use a towel to squeeze out extra water. Pulse broccoli rabe in a food processor and add to the large mixing bowl.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onion, pepper, and carrots in 1 tbsp olive oil to soften, about 7 minutes. Add softened vegetables to food processor. Add pine nuts to the pan and lightly toast, about 45 seconds until just fragrant, then add to the food processor. Also add olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh parsley, and basil. Close and then pulse all ingredients down into fine a mince. Add to the large mixing bowl
- In the same mixing bowl add grated cheese, salt, and pepper, then taste and adjust salt if needed. Add eggs and ground beef. Mix thoroughly to make the meatloaf.
- Transfer meatloaf to baking dish. Form, press, and pat into an approximately 11×6 inch rectangle. Try to avoid the loaf touching the edges of baking dish.
- Position an oven rack into the upper ⅓ of the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and add about 2 cups of marinara sauce to the baking dish and top the semi-cooked meatloaf with shredded mozzarella cheese. Move rack from upper to middle of the oven, and return meatloaf to bake for an additional 20–25 minutes. When cooking is complete, the cheese will be melted and browned, the sauce will be bubbling around the edges, and the internal temperature of the meatloaf will read 165.
- Use the remaining marinara sauce to serve with pasta and spoon over meatloaf when serving. Garnish with more grated cheese and chopped parsley.
