Italian Meatloaf

Photo courtesy Taste of Home

   It's that time of year - the tomatoes are popping and I'm making pasta sauce. The other night I had leftover sauce and ground beef was on sale, so I put the two together - Italian meatloaf. Why not? I made a Mexican meatloaf a few weeks ago that went so quick there no leftovers, so I thought I was safe making another meatloaf and using what had to work with. Changing the spices and the sauce are about the only real differences from your basic meatloaf. Basil and oregano are used instead of parsley and instead of catchup spread on top of the meat use marinara.
   It turned out good, lots of flavor and very moist. I'm not counting on leftovers this time either.

Italian Meatloaf

2 T. olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced fine

1/2 cup red and/or green bell peppers, diced fine

3-4 cloves garlic, diced fine

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

1-1/2 lb. ground meat (beef and/or Italian sausage)

1 cup bread crumbs (Italian if you have them)

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. fresh basil, chopped

2 T. fresh oregano, chopped

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup marinara sauce*

*See my homemade pasta sauce recipe in Monday's paper.

   Heat oil in small skillet. Add onions and peppers; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium low heat about 5 minutes, stirring often. Mix in garlic and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook another 5 minutes, checking often. Veggies should be soft and onions translucent.

   In large bowl combine ground meat, Parmesan, bread crumbs, Worcestershire, balsamic and spices. Add sauteed veggies to meat mixture. Mix well. Add eggs, stirring well to combine. 

   Preheat oven to 350. Spray 11x7x2 baking dish. Shape meat into a loaf in pan. Cover with marinara sauce. Bake 30 minutes and then drain excess fat. Return to oven and bake another 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let set 10-15 minutes. Serves 5-6.

Good served with mac and cheese and side salad topped with tomatoes and Parmesan.

Option - spread a layer of pepperoni over meatloaf before covering with marinara.

Related articles

• Italian Meatloaf Parmigiana (blogcritics.org)
• Basic Marinara Sauce (maritaagaard.wordpress.com)
• My Own Marinara Sauce (mydailybreadbodyandsoul.com)
• it's that time of year (amancine.blogspot.com)