Italian Meatloaf
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Think of this Italian meatloaf as one big giant meatball, packed with familiar flavors but on a grander, more satisfying scale.
My family loves this delicious Italian meatloaf that is essentially one big giant meatball, or an Italian version of my classic meatloaf. It’s comforting and satisfying, and the smell of it baking in the oven always lures everyone to the kitchen. I serve it with a big Italian salad and Parmesan smashed potatoes, but it is also delicious with pasta or creamy polenta. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, the meatloaf is even better the next day, sliced and topped with melted cheese in a warm sandwich.
To make the recipe quick and easy, I use a food processor to chop the vegetables. I also cheat and use a good-quality store-bought marinara sauce; the recipe only calls for 3/4 cup, so there is no need to make it from scratch. It’s easy to make two meatloaves, so you might as well—one to freeze and the other to bake straight away.
Table of Contents
“So I made this meatloaf on a whim…My husband and my in-laws LOVED it. I was so proud!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Italian Meatloaf
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by chopping the vegetables. I use a food processor, which makes it quick and easy. Always rough chop the veggies before putting them in the machine, otherwise they won’t chop evenly.
You want to pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped but not puréed — this makes for a nicely textured meatloaf.
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet and cook the vegetables until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the eggs with the Worcestershire sauce, basil, salt and pepper.
Whisk to combine.
Add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, and cooked vegetables.
Mix with your hands until well combined.
Shape the meat into a 9×5-inch loaf on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet. I prefer to “free-form” it rather than cook it in a loaf pan — that way, the fat cooks out and there’s always enough well-browned crust to go around.
Top with marinara sauce, letting a bit drip down the sides.
Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, until cooked through, then scrape away any fat that accumulates around the meatloaf.
Slice the meatloaf and serve.
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Italian Meatloaf
Think of this Italian meatloaf as one big giant meatball, packed with familiar flavors but on a grander, more satisfying scale.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 pounds meatloaf mix (or use 1½ pounds 85% lean ground beef plus ½ pound ground pork)
- ⅔ cup Italian-style bread crumbs
- ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¾ cup marinara sauce, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the vegetables are minced. (Alternatively, you can mince all of the vegetables by hand.)
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the minced vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown. Let cool until just warm.
- In a bowl large enough to hold all of the ingredients, whisk the eggs with the basil, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, and cooked vegetables to the egg mixture and mix with your hands until evenly combined.
- Form the meat mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf shape directly on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the marinara sauce evenly over top, letting it drip a bit down the sides.
- Bake for 65 for 70 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F in the middle of the meatloaf. Let the meatloaf rest for about 10 minutes. Scrape any fat away from the edges of the meatloaf (it will ooze out and brown while baking), then use a wide spatula to transfer the meatloaf to a cutting board or serving platter. Slice and serve with more marinara sauce on the side, if desired.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked meatloaf can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost it in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat it in a 300°F oven until hot in the middle. You can also freeze the meatloaf for up to 2 months before baking. Wrap the shaped loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. Add the marinara sauce after defrosting, when you are ready to bake and serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 585
- Fat: 42g
- Saturated fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Sugar: 4g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 35g
- Sodium: 966mg
- Cholesterol: 180mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn,
I am keen to try making this meatloaf to take to a friend’s place for dinner. She only has a microwave.
Can I make it the day before, or in the morning, and then reheat in a microwave?
Also with the ground beef being 85% lean…I assume the fat content is then 15%? (I know it sounds like a silly question but can’t recall how our ground beef ….we call it mince in Australia… is labelled.
Thanks so much for your help.
Anne , Sydney, Australia
Hi Anne, It’s perfectly fine for you to make this the day before. If you want to reheat it in a microwave, I think you may have the best luck reheating it in individual portions instead of as an entire meatloaf. And, yes, what you said about the fat content is correct. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much Jenn. As always, really appreciate your help.
Hello Jenn,
I have a question about the marinara sauce please. In Australia, marinara sauce tends to mean a seafood sauce. Can you please let me know if this is what’s needed in the recipe or is it something else.
Also Italian style breadcrumbs…not sure what the equivalent would be here.
I would be grateful for your help.
Thanks so much.
Anne
Hi Anne, interesting that marinara refers to a seafood sauce in Australia! It is a tomato sauce. I Googled it and it looks like maybe in Australia it’s referred to as Napolitana. Does that sound familiar? And Italian style breadcrumbs are basically plain breadcrumbs that have some Italian seasonings added. Do you have those accessible in Australia?
Thanks so much Jenn for answering my marinara question. I can probably find a Neopolita sauce but not sure about Italian style breadcrumbs.
Is there something I can add to ordinary breadcrumbs…I assume packaged breadcrumbs?
Really appreciate your help!!
Hi Anne, Here’s a recipe for converting plain breadcrumbs to Italian breadcrumbs. It makes a little more than you need, so if you’re a math person, you could cut the other ingredients back proportionally. 🙂
Thank you so much Jenn. You are always so very helpful!
This meatloaf was a total hit! I’ve been making meatloaf for a long time and I have to say, this version was a definite keeper. I did fall back on our family’s favorite topping as opposed to the marinara sauce though. (Ketchup, maple syrup, & dijon mustard.) Although I will try it with marinara next time. Thanks, Jenn!
Love this recipe! I am not on a strict “keto” diet but I eliminate or replace flour and high carb foods and sugar whenever possible. This meatloaf is an easy recipe for this. Exchange the bread crumbs for crushed pork rinds and use sugar free/low carb marinara and no one can tell the difference!
This was delicious and easy to make. Thanks Jenn!
Can pecorino Romano cheese be used instead of parm reg?
Sure, Celeste, that should work. Enjoy!
Best meatloaf ever. Fabulous flavor and texture and it doesn’t fall apart. I’m done looking for a good recipe. Try this one….you won’t be sorry.
My family loved it!
The next day I sliced it 1/2 inch, heated it and placed it on two slices of bread. Once my son finished the first sandwich he called out “Mom! Can I have another one”?
That good!
This came out PERFECT. I didn’t have celery on hand so I added an extra carrot. It was SUCH great meatiloaft! Thanks!
We love your Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ sauce so much (my wife says it is restaurant quality) I did not want to try another but I finally did. The Italian Meatloaf was just as good! Moist and tasty…I will definitely put in the arsenal. I used ground turkey for this recipe also and it was outstanding.