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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What temperature do I bake it at? Didn’t find it anywhere 🙂 Thank you!!!!!
Hi Veronica, it gets baked at 350°F/175°C. Hope you enjoy!
Never mind :))) i found it! Sorry about this 🙂
Any idea how much mirepaux total ? As a time saver I chop extra and freeze/refrigerate. Making tonite!
Hi, these are all just estimates based on the exact sizes of the vegetables and how finely you dice them, but 1 small finely chopped onion should be about 1/2 cup, the finely chopped carrot will be approximately 1/3 cup and the same for the celery. Mincing the 3 garlic cloves should render about 1.5 tsp. Hope that helps!
OMG!! This is amazing!
Made as directed but since I didn’t have the Marinara sauce, I made your recipe Tomato Balsamic Glaze to cover the meatloaf instead. So delicious.
Thanks for making me look like I can cook! Love your site!
I’ve made this Italian Meatloaf twice. The first time I did it exactly as the recipe with beef and pork. The meatloaf was delicious and a hit. The second time I did it with Turkey and it was just as good. A perfect meal served with couscous. Thank you Once Upon a Chef.
This recipe was absolutely delicious … only change was that we did 50/50 pork/beef. Served with homemade chips.
Can I say how much I love this meatloaf? It is super easy, super tasty, and it even freezes well! I love all the veggies in it and have found if in a hurry I can add them to the meat without sauteeing first, and it has made no difference in the final meatloaf. To freeze for individual meals, I make 1″ slices, wrap in foil and then stash in a freezer pouch for later. Since I’m a household of one now, that’s important to me!
Every one of your recipes I have tried is delicious! My husband and kids always ask what we’re having for dinner, and I simply say “something from once upon a chef,” and everyone is always happy to hear that reply! It has always been like pulling teeth to try to get my eight year old to eat meatloaf, but not with this recipe. She raved over it! I couldn’t believe it! Thanks again for another wonderful recipe!!!
Looks delicious! I have everything on hand except for the pork sausage. I do have sweet Italian sausage. Would that work or not work? Thanks!
Sure, Angela, just cut back on the added salt a bit as the sausage will already have some incorporated. Hope you enjoy!
I adore the flavor of this recipe!!! However, I have a need to make it gluten free. I tried twice with store-bought gluten free Panko breadcrumbs, and the texture is just….crumbly, mushy, won’t hold together. Any suggestions? More egg? A different binder? Oats, cornmeal….? Thanks so much!
Hi Vanessa, a couple suggestions come to mind — you could try a different brand of gluten-free bread crumbs as that may solve the problem. You could also try using ground oats instead of the bread crumbs. Because they will change the flavor of the meatloaf a bit, I’d suggest using just enough to bind everything together. Hope that helps!
As usual with your recipes, this was amazing. The only change I made was using the grease of the morning’s bacon with ground beef. The highlight for me was the basil. I will never again make meatloaf without it.
Just made this meatloaf recipe and we loved it! It was delicious. I added a small amount of red pepper flakes and used dried oregano and dried basil since I don’t have fresh basil, but it was delicious nevertheless.