We all have memories either of great or terrible meatloaf meals from childhood. My mom's meatloaf is a fond food memory. It was always moist and juicy, with a touch of Italy from the tomatoes and pecorino Romano cheese. It also passed the test of any respectable meatloaf: it made good sandwiches the next day.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal
1 cup milk
1 cup bread cubes (3 or 4 slices Italian country bread, crusts removed)
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 onion, cut into small dice
2 eggs
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped flatleaf parsley
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for greasing
1 cup canned plum tomatoes, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2
2. Put the beef, veal, and pork into a bowl and kneed them together.
Step 3
3. Pour the milk into a bowl and soak the bread in it, squeezing it into a paste. Add the soaked bread to the bowl with the meat and work them together as though you were kneading dough. Add the cheese, garlic, onion, eggs, oregano, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and knead again until well incorporated.
Step 4
4. Oil a large roasting pan with the olive oil. Form the meat mixture into a large loaf in the center of a roasting pan.
Step 5
5. Stir in the plum tomatoes, tomato paste, and 1 cup water together in a bowl and pour the mixture evenly over the meatloaf. Scatter the carrots and celery in the pan around the loaf.
Step 6
6. Put the pan in the oven and bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out warm, about 1 1/2 hours. If the loaf begins to look dry while cooking, tent it with aluminum foil. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool slightly.
Step 7
7. Slice the meatloaf into servings, put 1 serving on each plate and spoon pan gravy and vegetables over and around the meatloaf.
Your Nightly Specials
Step 8
You can make the loaf with beef and veal only, or with just beef.
Step 9
Lay some raw bacon strips over the loaf before baking. (This was one way my mother made her meatloaf extra special.)
Step 10
Add some sautéed mushrooms to the pan during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Reprinted with permission from Nightly Specials, by Michael Lomonaco. © 2004 William Morrow
TagsMeatloafItalian AmericanItalianEuropeanGround BeefBeefMeatGround PorkPorkVealPecorinoCheeseDairyCanned TomatoTomatoVegetableMainDinnerNut FreeEasyOven BakeCookbooks
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Reviews (36)
Back to TopTrianglemade this tonight, havent eaten yet cause waiting on my southern style scalloped potatoes. i made mine with veal, pork and austrailian wagyu. i did sneak a lil bite already and all i can say is i think this is my fav meatloaf i ever tasted. thank you.
311junglist
KY
7/18/2021
I never leave reviews. But this is the first meatloaf I’ve ever made, and it was a stunning victory. I belong to a meat CSA, so I subbed what I had on hand: one pound each of goat, pork, and lamb (all ground). I used plain bread crumbs with a hearty Italian herb blend from Penzey’s sprinkled in. Y’all. Do yourself a favor and do as another reviewer suggested: add more crushed tomatoes than the recipe calls for and purée all the drippings with a stick blender into a silky gravy for pasta. Perfection. We shall meet again.
Anonymous
Hudson Valley, NY
2/24/2018
This is a very dense meatloaf and makes a large amount. I made the loafs in two pans (essentially cutting recipe in 1/2) put one in the freezer and baked the other.Day 2, I sliced the baked loaf, basted w/ bbq sauce, and heat through using a cast iron skillet. It is delicious. Somehow, it isn't so dense when prepared this way and it has become our preferred way to cook and serve it.
LadyLawton
Normal, IL
4/14/2016
Tried this for thefirst time lastnight and it was ahit. I didsubstitute 1 pluscup Italian breadcrumbs instead andin my hurry I forgotto add the garlic,but that was myissue, and everyonestill that it wasreally good. I'msure the next time Imake it with thegarlic it can onlybe better. This isa very largemeatloaf so for asmall family youmight want to thinkof halving thisrecipe, otherwiseyou will be eatingleft overs for days.
Anonymous
Broken Arrow, OK
2/27/2012
This was good but not fantastic becauseit needs more seasonings. I used extraoregano and added fennell and extracheese. It was very moist. It tooknearly 2.5 hours to cook in a 375 oven.
catstory59
NY NY
12/18/2011
This was surprisingly good. I made 1/3 of the recipe and only cooked it 1 hour, it was cooked through but moist (165F). I used fresh basil instead of the parsley and just topped it with a can of pelatis in juice but otherwise followed the recipe and wouldn't change a thing! My 10 month old loved it too.
GenevaLJ
2/10/2011
This is an incredibly moist meat loaf. Would have appreciated a guideline on how much salt to add, though. Will need to experiment with that. Otherwise, the recipe is perfect.
LisaFromNJ
9/12/2010
