Meatloaf is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It was a staple at our house where Mom topped her loaves with tomato paste. When I married Nancy, she and her family had always used catsup. It took me a while to adapt, but I eventually came to enjoy meatloaf with onions, eggs, and breadcrumbs inside and lots of catsup on top. The sandwiches were perhaps better than the original entrée.
But I saw some recipes recently for Italian Meat Loaf. I picked out the easiest one. (I like easy) and gave it a whirl. It was very good, a really nice change of pace. Try it. I think you’ll like it.
Mix 2 pounds of 85/15 ground beef in a bowl with a couple cloves of minced garlic, a .7 oz packet of Italian Dressing Mix, 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, ⅓ cup milk, 2 lightly beaten eggs and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Don’t overmix the meat or it will be tough. Keep it loose.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Pour 1 C of marinara sauce in the bottom of a meatloaf pan and add the meat, then shape it to about 2 ½ inches tall, 6 inches wide and 11-inches long. Pour the remainder of the 28-oz. jar of marinara sauce over the meatloaf. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with 1 C mozzarella cheese and bake another 10 minutes. It should be done but check with a thermometer to read 165 degrees. Let it rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve. Buon appetito!
Easy Italian Meat Loaf
2 lbs. 85/15 ground beef
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
.7 oz packet of Italian Dressing Mix
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
⅓ cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ C grated parmesan cheese
24 oz jarred marinara
1 cup shredded mozzarella
