A classic tender Italian Meatloaf made with Italian herbs and parmesan cheese, served with marinara sauce for a homey comfort meal. This meatloaf is juicy, cheesy, and will be your family's favorite new weeknight meal!
Looking for another delicious family-style meal? Try Italian Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin or PERFECT Cast Iron Chicken Breast!
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Why Italian Meatloaf
- This Italian-Style Meatloaf or Polpettone is savory and tender, with every bit melting in your mouth.
- It can be prepped a day in advance and cooked at your convenience with a tomato sauce or homemade marinara.
- If you love Meatballs, this is basically a big baked meatball and as soft as one! See the difference between baked and fried meatballs.
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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Meatloaf Mix. The key to a tender meatloaf is the meat you use. A combination of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal, also known as meatloaf mix, is the perfect meat for meatloaf. Being higher in fat and using a combination that includes a tender meat like veal, meatloaf mix will always have a soft texture.
- Onion. Most meatloaf recipes include onion. It's important to use a sauteed onion because an uncooked chopped onion won't soften enough in the cooked meatloaf.
- Marinara Sauce. It can be as simple as spreading tomato sauce over the meatloaf because it will cook over the course of an hour and develop flavor. I like to use a Homemade Marinara Sauce for topping when available.
- Breadcrumbs. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs with pecorino romano are perfect. Exactly how much you use may differ in comparison to what I have shared.
- Milk. Whole milk is best, and similar to breadcrumbs, exactly how much you use may differ in comparison to the recipe, based on the general moisture of the meat and ingredients. The same is true for Classic Italian Fried Meatballs.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Italian Meatloaf
Step 1: Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and saute onions until they're soft and have brown edges, about 8-10 minutes.
Step 2: Once the onions are golden-brown, remove them from the heat. Set them aside and allow them to cool to room temperature.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350℉. In a large bowl, combine meat, breadcrumbs, parmesan, milk, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and egg.
Step 4: Gently combine everything with your hands until just combined. It should feel wet but not slimy. If it feels slimy, add more breadcrumbs; if it's too dry, add more milk. It is important not to overwork the meat. It will become dense and tough.
Step 5: Drizzle a large glass baking dish with olive oil. Shape the meat into a large ball. Place it in the baking dish and slowly expand it into a desired meatloaf shape. Don't go all the way to the edge, but spread it out as far as possible to shorten cooking time.
Step 6: Spread marinara over the top of the meatloaf. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour or until the meat reaches 160℉.
Step 7: Remove from the oven and rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Pro-Tips
- If you want a tender meatloaf, don't buy prepackaged retail meat. Being packed and pressed will result in a tough texture. It's best to get meat directly from the butcher or supermarket. It should look like it was run through a grinder and not just a block of meat.
- Using cooked onions is preferred over raw. Raw onions will never get cooked just by baking and will be crunchy compared to the rest of the dish.
- Be aware of the feel and texture of the mix when you combine the ingredients. All eggs and meat aren't created equally so you may need to add more milk or breadcrumbs depending on how wet the meat is. *See instructions above.
- Using a marinara sauce to top the meatloaf will give it a bit of extra Italian flavor, and you can top the meatloaf after it's been cooked with more marinara.
Recipe FAQs
Essentially, yes. It's not much different than a big meatball. The only difference is that the meat is cooked through while baking in the oven instead of being simmered in the oven.
Yes, ground beef is a great substitute. If you can't get a meatloaf mix, ground beef will still make a good meatloaf.
American meatloaf is typically topped with ketchup, while Italian meatloaf has a marinara sauce and usually is made with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.
Serving Suggestions
Italian Meatloaf is a classic weeknight dinner and can be served with some really easy and classic side dishes.
- Potatoes and Rice. Meatloaf is typically served with potatoes, whether it's Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes or Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes. It's also great with sides like Gorgonzola Risotto with Mushrooms or Creamy Mushroom Truffle Risotto.
- Vegetables. A classic meatloaf dinner for my family would include Garlic Parmesan Green Beans, Sauteed Rapini with Garlic, or Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe (Tuscan).
- Salads. My family would also serve it the next along with a salad like Summer Farro Salad with Cannellini Beans, Orzo and Garbanzo Bean Salad, or an easy romaine salad with Traditional Caesar Dressing and Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons.
More Italian Main Dishes
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
Italian Meatloaf
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 glass baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 lbs meatloaf mix or ground beef
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1.5 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 1 small onion
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and saute onions until they're soft and have a brown edge. Remove from the heat and allow the onions to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. In a large bowl, combine meat, breadcrumbs, parmesan, milk, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and egg. Mix everything until just combined.
- Shape the meat into a large ball. Place it in the glass baking dish and slowly expand it into a desired meatloaf shape. Don't go all the way to the edge, but spread it out as far as possible to shorten cooking time.
- Spread marinara over the top of the meatloaf. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour or until the meat reaches 160℉.
- Remove from the oven and rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- If you want a tender meatloaf, don't buy prepackaged retail meat. Being packed and pressed will result in a tough texture. It's best to get meat directly from the butcher or supermarket. It should look like it was run through a grinder and not just a block of meat.
- Using cooked onions is preferred over raw. Raw onions will never get cooked just by baking and will be crunchy compared to the rest of the dish.
- Be aware of the feel and texture of the mix when you combine the ingredients. All eggs and meat aren't created equally so you may need to add more milk or breadcrumbs depending on how wet the meat is. *See instructions above.
- Using a marinara sauce to top the meatloaf will give it a bit of extra Italian flavor, and you can top the meatloaf after it's been cooked with more marinara.
Vinny says
There's nothing like mom's Meatloaf recipe! It's one of our family's go-to recipes! Leave a review and let us know what you think!