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White plate with two slices of meatloaf with tomato sauce and mashed potatoes.
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Italian Meatloaf

Italian Meatloaf is a comfort food classic dinner. This meatloaf mixture includes spices, egg, Italian style bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano cheese, and my secret ingredient, shredded zucchini! This is the perfect way to sneak vegetables into your meal. Even the pickiest eater won't notice.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 189kcal
Author Katie

Equipment

  • Stove Top
  • Glass Baking Dish

Ingredients

For the Meatloaf:

  • 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
  • ½ cup Italian Style Bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
  • ½ cup Shredded Zucchini
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Onion Flakes
  • ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt

For the Sauce:

  • 1 15 oz. Can Tomato Sauce
  • ½ cup Brown Sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, shredded zucchini, egg, Italian seasoning, dried onion flakes, garlic powder, ground black pepper into the bowl.
  • Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Shape the meat into a loaf in the glass baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes.
  • While meatloaf cooks, mix together the tomato sauce and the brown sugar until incorporated. Set to the side.
  • Remove the meatloaf from the oven. Pour half the sauce on top of the meatloaf. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Remove the meatloaf from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Heat the remaining sauce and serve on the side.

Notes

  • Sauce - You can make this homemade sweet tomato sauce glaze or you can simply top with ketchup. Or keep the meatloaf naked and top with brown gravy.
  • Moist Meatloaf - See my FAQs above about how I like to add both egg and some zucchini to the ground beef. These two items will help keep the meatloaf moist.
  • Double - To serve more people, simply double this recipe. Add an additional 20 minutes of baking time on to your meatloaf.
  • Substitutions - If you want to make this gluten free, simply use a gluten free breadcrumb for this recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25lbs | Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 867mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 503IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 2mg