Italian Meatloaf Recipe

By
Todd Coleman
Todd Coleman Headshot
Todd Coleman

Todd is the Creative Content Director for social media at Dotdash, working across The Spruce Eats, TripSavvy, Liquor.com and TreeHugger.

Todd has seen every side of the media and food world—behind the lens, on the page, and beyond. He has been everything from executive food editor at Saveur and creative director at Tasting Table to producer at the Food Network and shooter-writer-editor for everything from travel stories to cookbooks. He’s also an Instagram star (with over 100,000 followers!)

Todd received an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America.

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Updated on 12/1/21
Tested by
Danielle Centoni
Danielle Centoni
Tested by Danielle Centoni
Danielle is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon. She has authored five cookbooks and contributed recipe testing to six additional cookbooks. Danielle has worked as a staff editor and writer for the Oakland Tribune and Eater Portland, among others. Danielle has been writing for The Spruce Eats since December 2018. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Italian Meatloaf sliced on a platter

The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 70 mins
Cool and Rest: 20 mins
Total: 110 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 1 loaf
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
505 Calories
31g Fat
17g Carbs
38g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 505
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Cholesterol 189mg 63%
Sodium 1094mg 48%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 38g
Vitamin C 4mg 21%
Calcium 92mg 7%
Iron 4mg 25%
Potassium 783mg 17%
*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.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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

Itailan Meatloaf Recipe Tester Image
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 catsup

  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Steps to Make It

Make the meatloaf

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Italian Meatloaf ingredients in bowls

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

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

    Breadcrumbs in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

  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.

    Onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning in a pan with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

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

    Bacon, beef, and pork with vegetables in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

  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.

    Meat mixture in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

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

    Meat loaf on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

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

    Baked meatloaf on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

Make and Add the Glaze

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

    Meatloaf glaze in a bowl with a spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

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

    Italian Meatloaf with glaze on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

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.