An incredibly delicious Italian Meatloaf cooked with a simple tomato sauce that can be prepared in minutes. Topped with grated Romano cheese to add saltiness and flavor with every bite. I’m confident this is the absolute best Italian meatloaf you will ever eat.
The sauce for this Italian meatloaf is stirred together in a bowl then cooked with the meatloaf, where the flavor from the meat and spices seep into the sauce while it bakes. Is your mouth watering yet? Wait, there’s more. This meatloaf is moist (I know you all hate that word) and the flavor is out of this world. Ricotta is added to give it moisture and the inclusion of Romano cheese provides a delicious, salty flavor that is unique to this cheese.
What makes this Italian meatloaf so delicious?
First, start off with good hamburger, chuck is preferred. The meat has to have some fat content; 15% is good. Leave the lean hamburger for something else. If you’re on a diet, this meal isn’t for you. Everything in moderation, my friends! Treat yourself to the best beef you can buy. I personally buy angus 85% lean, as it gives the dish a rich, juicy, and delicious flavor. You’re worth it.
The combination of both ricotta cheese and a little milk adds moisture without turning the meatloaf into a pile of greasy meat.
As for spices, I go with the usual salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and some chopped fresh parsley.
Let’s talk about parsley for a minute. It’s usually a buck for a bunch at your local market. Buy it, rinse it, shake off the excess, and chop up however much you want to accommodate to your taste preferences. What to do with the remaining parsley? Well, you can wrap a damp paper towel around the stems, place it in a paper bag, and put it in the fridge until you need it for another recipe. Or, you can place it in a glass of water and put it on the counter and it will stay fresh for a couple of days until you need it. Don’t need it yet? Simply cut off the stems, chop up the parsley, place in a zip top freezer bag, and freeze it. When you need it, it’s there. If you don’t feel like chopping it before freezing it, freeze it whole. /p>
I use dehydrated onion flakes which makes prep that much easier. You can find it in the supermarket and it’s a huge time saver. I’m all about using real ingredients, and dehydrated onion flakes are exactly what its name implies. Get some and use it when you just don’t feel like chopping onions. If you don’t have it when making this recipe, simply use granulated onion. Granulated onion is grainier than onion powder. If you want to use a real onion, grate it so that it melts directly into the meat.
No cook sauce? Talk to me!
This is the same sauce I use for my stuffed peppers with sausage and mozzarella. Just mix the ingredients and pour into a casserole dish. The sauce cooks as it bakes. It becomes thick and savory from the flavor released by the meat.
Finally, form the meatloaf and set it on top of the sauce, spoon some sauce over the loaf, and sprinkle with some grated Romano cheese. Bake for an hour and ¡voila! You have an incredibly delicious, moist Italian style meatloaf.
Look at that! It might look pretty but I'm all about the flavor and less about a pretty picture. The cheese is melted and forms a crust on top. The sauce is dark, thick, and flavorful. Leftovers make great sandwiches too!
Italian Meatloaf pairs well with:
- Mashed Potatoes
- Tony's Sautéed Mushrooms
- Salty golden smashed potatoes
- Parmesan roasted potato wedges
- Peruvian mashed potatoes
- Silky smooth carrot puree
- Roasted carrots with butter and dill
Life is too short for mediocre food.
Have you seen these?
Italian Meatloaf Baked In No Cook Tomato Sauce
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Italian Meatloaf:
- 3 pounds ground beef 85% lean preferably angus
- ¾ cup ricotta whole milk
- ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 3 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes or 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoons pepper
No Cook Tomato Sauce:
- 1 (28 ounce) can ground peeled tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Topping:
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the tomato sauce ingredients. Once combined, pour into a 9x13 baking dish.
- In a large bowl, mix all meatloaf ingredients together until just combined. Do not overmix or the meatloaf will turn out tough.
- Form into a loaf and place into a baking dish on top of sauce. Spoon some sauce all over the top of the meatloaf. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 1 hour. The sauce will be dark and thick.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. Slice and serve with sauce. Enjoy!
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