This Italian meatloaf recipe is rich in cheese, beef and topped up with my homemade Italian marinara sauce. This meatloaf is easy to make and versatile to pair with any side dish. You can even divide it into slices to make a meatloaf sandwich!
Take this meatloaf or any Italian recipe to the next level with my homemade Italian marinara sauce. The flavor of this tomato sauce is incredible!
Contents
⭐ Italian meatloaf recipe
I consider myself an avid fan of meatloaf dinner recipes, and this recipe with bread crumbs is my favorite by a mile! Not only does it take minimal effort, but it's also one of the best Italian meatloaf recipes ever. Let me show you why!
🍽 What you need
While this recipe has a lot of ingredients, most of them you likely already have on hand. If you're missing a few spices, try Amazon. Otherwise, your local grocery store typically offers delivery.
Equipment
- Heavy Skillet
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Aluminum Loaf Pan or Baking dish (9 x 5)
Ingredients
- Olive oil - 4 tablespoons, separated
- Onions - one medium, finely chopped
- Red pepper - 1 medium, diced
- 4 Garlic cloves, minced or equivalent teaspoon garlic powder
- Italian herbs - 2 tablespoons
- Eggs - 3 large
- One teaspoon salt
- Pepper - ½ teaspoon
- Lean ground beef - 2 pounds
- Worcestershire sauce - 2 tablespoons
- Balsamic vinegar - 3 tablespoons, separated
- Tomato marinara sauce - 1 cup
- Parmesan cheese - ½ cup, grated
- Mozzarella cheese - 1 cup, shredded
- Bread crumbs - 1 cup
🔪How to make
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook another minute or two, stir in the Italian herbs, and remove heat.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs well - season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine.
- Put the beef in a large mixing bowl, add the egg mixture, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the Worcestershire, 2 tablespoon of the balsamic, and ½ cup of marinara sauce. Add the parmesan, mozzarella and bread crumbs, and onions, then mix it with your hands until just combined - do not over mix.
- Lightly oil a 9 x 5 loaf pan and pack the meat mixture into it. Whisk the remaining balsamic in the remaining ½ cup of marinara, and spread this evenly over the meatloaf.
- Bake for about an hour or until cooked. Allow resting for about 5 minutes before serving.
💭 Top tips
- Mixing the ground beef and other ingredients by hand is essential, and doing so lightly is even more important for texture and flavor. The more care you take at this stage, the more tender the finished Meatloaf will be.
- It is essential to use a loaf pan to cook the meatloaf evenly and to stay juicy.
📋 Variations
- Ground turkey makes a great alternative to ground beef in this recipe. Another option could be half ground beef and half ground pork. It helps to keep the meatloaf moist and tender.
- If you don't have Italian marinara sauce, feel free to use ketchup or bbq sauce to cover your meatloaf. Although it won't be Italian anymore, it will add a sweet delicious flavor.
- Bread crumbs can be replaced by many things and come in many different varieties. I recommend this homemade breadcrumb with pork rinds.
- You can quickly turn this recipe into meatloaf muffins. Just pour the mix into a muffin pan, and voila.
If you like meatloaf recipes, don't forget to explore my meatloaf recipe collection. Looking for a healthy version, then try this delicious meatloaf recipe with pork rind bread crumbs.
🥗 What to serve with
Let's look at some fantastic side-dish options for this homemade meatloaf.
Mac and Cheese
My mac and cheese recipe is phenomenal and pairs perfectly with this meatloaf dish. I make this with extra cheese (sharp cheddar and flavorful pecorino) and just enough butter to add an incredible creaminess to it, make it a great meal on its own and a great way to fill up space beside your meatloaf.
Roasted Potatoes:
Another excellent option for this Italian dish, a good potato recipe, is excellent for filling you up while still tasting amazing with almost anything! This recipe is a delicious one, with garlic and rosemary for flavor and just a hint of garlic to turn these potato wedges into bonafide comfort food fit for your dinner plate. And it'll go great with your meatloaf!
Quinoa Salad:
A healthier option than the other two, a nice salad goes great with almost anything. We have a quinoa salad with black beans, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, greens, and cheese. Top this salad with a nice olive oil dressing, with lemons thrown in to give it some zesty kick, making it an even better fit for our meatloaf!
🥫 Storage
Fridge
To store your meatloaf in the fridge, you'll have to wait for it to cool completely. Then, put the entire thing in a shallow, airtight container and seal. Or, if you prefer, you can wrap it up tight in aluminum foil or saran wrap. Then carefully place it in the fridge. Your meatloaf will last for 3 or 4 days. Make sure you eat it up!
Freezer
You have two good options here. Once your meatloaf has cooled off, store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
My favorite option involves slicing the meatloaf into 1" thick pieces. Take a sandwich ziplock back and place 2 1" slices into each bag. Freeze for super easy, quick meals.
Reheat in the microwave, toaster oven, or oven until it is hot throughout. Now you can serve it up and enjoy your leftovers!
Can I freeze raw meatloaf?
Yes, you can! My mom always made two meatloaves and baked one and froze the second. Having frozen homemade meals ready to go is super helpful when it comes to feeding a hungry family.
She'd often use aluminum foil loaf pans, which are easy to find in your local grocery store, or buy them on Amazon along with a few extra spices.
Cooking wise, we'd always put it directly from the freezer into the oven and start at 250°F (120°C) for 60 minutes (low and slow), then 400°F (205°C) for 30 minutes for a nice meatloaf finish.
🍳 Related Italian Recipes
Looking for more italian food? Check my 50 best italian recipes to make at home with fresh ingredients.
👪 Serving size
This fantastic homemade Italian meatloaf recipe serves six people. And with an amazingly versatile Italian marinara sauce to finish it off.
📋 Recipe
Italian Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil - separated
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 1 medium red pepper - diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons italian herbs
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds ground beef - lean
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar - separated
- 1 cup marinara sauce - good quality
- ½ cup parmesan cheese - grated
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese - shredded
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook another minute or two, stir in the Italian herbs, and remove heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs well - season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine.
- Put the beef in a large bowl, add the egg mixture, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the Worcestershire, 2 tablespoons of balsamic, and ½ cup of marinara sauce. Add the parmesan, mozzarella and bread crumbs, and onions, then mix it with your hands until just combined - do not over mix.
- Lightly oil a 9 x 5 loaf pan and pack the meat mixture into it. Whisk the remaining tablespoon balsamic in the remaining ½ cup of marinara, and spread this evenly over the meatloaf.
- Bake for about an hour or until cooked. Allow resting for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Mixing the ground beef and other ingredients by hand is essential, and doing so is even more important for texture and flavor.
- It is essential to use a loaf pan to cook the meatloaf evenly and to stay juicy.
Marilyn Lumbra
Just made this and texture is great but Italian seasoning is overwhelming. Did you mean fresh herbs?
Ben Rayl
Glad you enjoyed it! I use exactly 2 tablespoons (level not heaping) of Italian seasoning. I understand each Italian seasoning blend may vary depending on brand. In your case just scale it back to 1 tablespoon next time around.
Also, when working with fresh herbs, the general rule of thumb is to double the dried quantity.