This Italian Style Meatloaf is infused with Italian spices and parmesan cheese and topped with homemade marinara. It's the perfect warm and filling meal when it's chilly outside and puts a nostalgic twist on a classic favorite. For a quick overview of this recipe, check out my web story on this delicious meatloaf with marinara!
Meatloaf is one of my kid's favorite meals for either Sunday dinner or a weeknight meal. This Italian style meatloaf is on the menu quite regularly at our house. It only takes 10 minutes to put together and is perfect for any day of the week.
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🍅 Ingredient notes
- Ground meat - Using a 50/50 combination of ground beef and pork adds extra moisture and flavor that makes this Italian style meatloaf delicious.
- Bread - Instead of using breadcrumbs, use a slice of bread that is soaked in milk for extra moisture and flavor
- Marinara - Either use homemade marinara for this recipe or your favorite jarred sauce!
🔪 Step by step instructions
First, pour the milk over the slice of bread in a small bowl and set aside. Next, combine the meat, egg, seasonings, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
Add your milk soaked bread to the meat and lightly mix everything until the ingredients are just incorporated. I like using my hands or a wooden spoon to gently mix things together. Shape your meat mixture into a loaf shape on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Lastly, bake your meatloaf in a 350˚ oven for about 20 minutes. Then, pour the marinara sauce over the top of the meatloaf and bake for another 10-15 minutes until it's cooked through and the middle reaches an internal temperature of 155˚ when checked with a kitchen thermometer.
Don't forget to let your meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving to make sure the juices don't all run out.
⭐ Top tip
Be careful not to over mix your meatloaf mixture. Gently mixing by hand or with a mixing spoon until the ingredients are just incorporated is best. Heavily mixing or whipping the mixture will lead to a tough and dense meatloaf.
📋 Variations
- Gluten free - Use gluten free bread and gluten free marinara
- Dairy free - Substitute the whole milk for unsweetened dairy free milk or beef broth and omit the parmesan cheese. Make sure that the bread and marinara you are using are also dairy free.
💭 Frequently asked questions
The milk combined with the bread mixes together to help add and retain moisture while the meatloaf is cooking.
It's not necessary to cover a meatloaf while it's cooking, however if you want to loosely add a piece of foil over the top of it, it will help retain some moisture. Remove the foil when you add the marinara and let it continue to cook uncovered for the last 10-15 minutes.
🍽 What to serve with this
- Parmesan Roasted Artichokes
- Spinach Salad with Pear and Pomegranate
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
- Grilled Italian Zucchini with Lemon
- Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
🍝 More comfort food recipes
If you loved this recipe for my Italian meatloaf, check out these other comfort food recipes!
Don't forget! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and give it a rating. I love to hear from each and every one of you! Tag me on Facebook and Instagram as well! It makes my day to see all of your photos of the food you have made.
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📖 Recipe
Italian Style Meatloaf with Marinara
Italian Style Meatloaf with Marinara is infused with Italian spices and parmesan cheese for the best comfort food for any day of the week!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes (plus resting time)
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients
- 1 slice white bread
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 large whole egg
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Place the slice of bread in a small bowl and pour milk over the top of it. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add in milk soaked bread and mix together with hands until ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Turn mixture out onto prepared baking sheet and shape into loaf.
- Bake meatloaf in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Top with marinara sauce and continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 155°.
- Remove meatloaf from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Be careful not to overmix the meat mixture or the meatloaf will be tough and dense.
Variations
Keywords: meatloaf, italian meatloaf, italian sunday dinner
Terri Wilkins says
Easy and tasty so I will definitely make this again. I would use only 1/2 tsp of salt though and figure 10-15 minutes more cooking time. This was a hit in my house! Thank you for the recipe.
Amanda says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Tess says
I’m going to be honest, I am not a meatloaf fan, but when I saw the pictures of this my mouth was watering! I decided to give it a try and I was not disappointed! It was so delicious, I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!
Amanda says
I'm so happy to hear that Tess, thank you for trying!
Marissa & Alyssa says
Oh man, we can't tell how good this looks. We love meatloaf, especially during these cold months. We can't wait to give this recipe a try.
Amanda says
Thank you so much!
Heather says
This was a hit with my family. As my husband normally doesn’t care for meatloaf, my boys were a bit wary until they tasted it. Both boys and my husband went back for more. I wish I could say I had leftovers for tomorrow. 🙂
Amanda says
I'm so glad your family loved this recipe! Thank you for trying 🙂