Heirloom Meals: Savoring Yesterday's Traditions Today

Italian-style Meatloaf a la Nana/Mom/Me

Italian Meatloaf

Ingredients

  • 2-3 Onions, caramelized
  • 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 lbs combo of ground veal, beef and pork in equal proportions (if you are lucky enough to have a good butcher they can do this for you!)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 kaiser roll, or 2 slices of bread or in my case, 1 gluten-free roll
  • 1 cup milk - whole, low-fat or skim - whatever you have on hand
  • 2 Tbsp Parsley, minced
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated cheese- pecorino romano OR parmesan
  • 1 Jar or can tomatoes, pureed in blender
  • Surprise Ingredient - you need to scroll through recipe!!

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Caramelize the onions in 2 Tbsp olive oil. This takes about 20 + minutes
  3. Add the minced garlic at the end so it doesn't get burned but cooks enough to get aromatic and soft.
  4. While the onions are caramelizing, soak the roll in the milk until is is mushy and breaks into pieces.
  5. Mix the meat, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, grated cheese and soaked roll together until well blended.
  6. And the add the caramelized onion and garlic mixture. This is truly what makes this meatloaf so good!!
  7. Put 2 Tbsp olive oil in your baking dish and place in your preheated oven to heat the oil.
  8. Once the oil is hot, form the bottom layer of your meatloaf in the heated oil and add sliced CHEDDAR CHEESE before you put your top layer on.
  9. Pour your pureed tomato sauce over the top and bake for about an hour until bubbling and slightly browned on top.
  10. Serve with roasted regular and sweet potatoes or mashed and sauteed spinach.
  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 1 hour
  • Total time: 1 hour & 30 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings


Categories: Carole's Concoctions, Heirloom Recipes

Tags: meatloaf, italian meatloaf, Italian, Comfort Food, ground beef