Italian Meatloaf Recipe
The best meatloaf you'll ever taste: A heavenly and over-the-top savory meatloaf studded with sun-dried tomatoes, aromatics, melty Fontina cheese and herbs.
It seems to me there are often two schools of thought when it comes to meatloaf. You either crave it or disdain it. If you are the former, I completely understand where you’re coming from. I mean…we’re basically talking about a giant meatball here, people. However, if you are the latter, I think I have a solution for you — flavor.
In my opinion, this is the most prevalent problem running through meatloafs across America today. When creating my Italian meatloaf, I chose to use a number of ingredients with deeply rich and savory flavor profiles. Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs, gooey Fontina cheese and piquant red peppers make this loaf both unique and addictive in nature.
I’d also like to bring to your attention the importance of tenderness. Have you ever had a tough-as-nails meatloaf? No thank you ,sir. My solution? Fresh bread crumbs. The process of making homemade breadcrumbs may seem like a daunting task, however, it is surprisingly simple. If you need some additional encouragement, you can find a video demonstration at TheAnthonyKitchen.com. And trust me on this one, the freshly made breadcrumbs add a tenderness to the dish that is well worth the extra effort.
The end result is a tender and juicy meatloaf, enhanced by big, bold flavors and guaranteed to make a craver out of any disdainer. Please, enjoy.
Ingredients:
12 oz Day-Old White Bread, French or Sourdough
¼ c Whole Milk
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Red Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 ½ tbsp Minced Basil
2 tsp Minced Marjoram
3 Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Packed in Oil), finely diced
15 oz Can Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes, well-drained
2 Lg Eggs, slightly beaten
1 tbsp + 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce, separated
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 lbs 80/20 Ground Beef
6 oz Fontina Cheese, diced into tiny cubes
1 c Ketchup
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Method:
Preheat oven to 325°
Have ready a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Remove crust, if any, from the bread and cut into 1/2” cubes. Add the bread cubes to the food processor and process until fine crumbs have formed. Transfer 1 cup of bread crumbs to a large mixing bowl, add milk, stir and set aside until ready to use.
Add olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté 5-8 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds and remove from heat. While the pan is still hot, add basil, marjoram, sun-dried tomatoes and diced tomatoes and stir. Set aside to cool.
Add cooled vegetables, eggs, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the soaked bread crumbs and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add in the ground beef and Fontina, working all of the ingredients together with your hands.
Place mixture on rimmed baking sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil and shape into a loaf. Set aside and make the sauce.
To make the sauce, in a small mixing bowl whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.
Pour the sauce over the meatloaf and bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 170°. Allow to cool for fifteen minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Pairs well with:
