Italian Meatloaf Recipe

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 70 mins

Cool and Rest: 20 mins

Total: 110 mins

Servings: 6 servings

Yield: 1 loaf

This is a classic Italian-style meatloaf recipe. It is also free form style, which means it is shaped into a loaf by hand and baked on a sheet rather than baked in a bread loaf pan. We recommend using chuck beef to keep the loaf moist.

“This is an exceptionally delicious meatloaf that doesn’t taste too ‘porky’ even though it includes pork and bacon. The tangy glaze makes it irresistible, and sauteed vegetables and mushrooms add an extra savory dimension. I used my food processor to pulse the vegetables until they were finely chopped, which really made the prep easy.” —Danielle Centoni

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

• 6 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• 4 slices bacon, chopped

• 1 pound ground beef, preferably chuck

• 1/2 pound ground pork

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Steps to Make It

Make the meatloaf

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Heat the oven to 350 F. Finely chop the bread in a food processor. Set the breadcrumbs aside.

   

3. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring until soft and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly.

   

4. Add the cooled vegetable mixture to the food processor along with the bacon, beef, and pork, and pulse until finely chopped—not puréed.

   

5. Add the mixture to a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, cream, soy sauce, Worcestershire, eggs, salt, and pepper. Using your hands, gently mix everything together until well combined.

   

6. Mold the meat mixture into a 9-inch-by-5-inch-sized loaf shape on a buttered, parchment-lined baking sheet.

   

7. Bake until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 135 F, 40 to 45 minutes.

   

Make and Add the Glaze

1. Raise the heat to 500 F. In a small bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients.

   

2. Brush the meatloaf with the glaze and bake until well browned, about 12 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

   

Tips

• We recommend using chuck beef for this recipe because the beef should have sufficient fat content to prevent the loaf from drying out while cooking. Ground beef that's 80% lean/20% fat works great too.
• Resting the loaf before serving prevents all those delicious juices from draining out when you cut into it.
• Try using your food processor to speed up the process of finely chopping the raw vegetables. Cut them into chunks first and pulse until finely chopped, not pureed.
• Use a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan to help mold the meatloaf. Just pack the mixture into the loaf pan, then invert onto the baking sheet and lift the pan off. By cooking the meatloaf on a baking sheet instead of a loaf pan, it cooks much faster and the extra fat can drain off, keeping it from turning out greasy.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	487
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g	40%
Saturated Fat 13g	65%
Cholesterol 189mg	63%
Sodium 938mg	41%
Total Carbohydrate 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 37g
Vitamin C 4mg	18%
Calcium 89mg	7%
Iron 4mg	25%
Potassium 735mg	16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.