A recipe for Italian Meatloaf featuring Fontina cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs and a sweet balsamic tomato topping.
When it comes to meatloaf, there seem to be only two schools of thought: You either crave it or disdain it. If you're the former, I completely get where you’re coming from, partner. We’re basically talking about a giant meatball here, people. However, if you are the latter, friend, I think I have a solution for you, right here. Your meatloaf is in dire need of a flavor upgrade. And, this Italian meatloaf is all the upgrade you need to turn a meatloaf hater into a meatloaf lover.
This Italian meatloaf features heavy-hitter ingredients with deeply rich and savory flavor profiles. Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs, gooey Fontina cheese, and red peppers to bring out big flavors and make this meatloaf recipe 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 breadcrumbs.
The process of making homemade breadcrumbs may seem like a daunting task, however, it is surprisingly simple. I usually keep a skinny French loaf in the fridge, ya know -- in case of emergency. It comes in handy for throwing together some toasty sandwiches, making homemade garlic bread, and (you guessed it!) fresh breadcrumbs.
To make the breadcrumbs, you simply pull the inner part of the loaf away from the crust, add it to a food processor and let it whir! In seconds, you're looking at homemade, fresh breadcrumbs. The staler the bread, the better the crumb!
The end result is a tender and juicy meatloaf, oozing with Fontina cheese and bold flavors, and this Italian meatloaf is guaranteed to make a craver out of any disdainer. Please, enjoy.
Italian Meatloaf Recipe
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 or Mozzarella Cheese diced into tiny cubes
- 1 c Ketchup
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Have ready a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Remove crust, if any, from the bread and cut into ½” 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.
- And 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 breadcrumbs and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add the ground beef and Fontina, working all of the ingredients together with your hands.
- Place mixture on a 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.
Nutrition
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