Best My Mothers Italian American Meatloaf Recipe Epicuriouscom Recipes

OUR FAVORITE MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or 13x9" shallow baking dish with foil. Soak breadcrumbs in milk in a large bowl until ready to use.
• Pulse onion, celery, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. (Alternatively, you can finely chop by hand.)
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion mixture, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in Worcestershire, and scrape into bowl with breadcrumb mixture. Add beef, pork, eggs, 1/4 cup ketchup, and remaining 1 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper, then mix with your hands to combine.
• Form meatloaf mixture into a long, well-packed, approximately 5"-wide loaf shape on prepared baking sheet. Brush top of loaf with 1/4 cup ketchup. Bake meatloaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 155°F, 60-75 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with more ketchup alongside.
• Do Ahead
• Meatloaf can be made 3 days ahead; wrap in foil and chill, or freeze for up to 3 months.

ITALIAN MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• Grease 9x5-inch loaf pan. Place rye and white breads in large bowl. Pour 1 cup water over. Let soak 5 minutes. Drain off any excess water. Mash bread finely with fork. Add ground beef, onion, egg, Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well. Transfer to prepared dish. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Chill.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake meat loaf 30 minutes. Pour tomato sauce over. Sprinkle with oregano. Bake 20 more minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

MOM'S MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Put ground meat in a large bowl. With your fist, push a bowl shape in the middle of the ground meat. Take a handful of crackers and crumble them by hand into the bowl shape in the beef. Beat the eggs and add them on top of the crackers, then pour in the milk. Season with a few shakes of salt and pepper and mix everything together with your hands.
• Sauté peppers and onions in a small pan with about a teaspoon of butter or olive oil until just tender, about five minutes. Add about a third of this to the meatloaf mixture and set the rest aside for the gravy.
• In a separate bowl or plate, crush a generous handful or so of the crackers. Form two large or three small loaves out of the meatloaf mixture and roll each in crushed crackers to coat. Melt about a teaspoon of butter in a large, deep pan and brown meatloaves over medium heat for about ten minutes. Flip each loaf with a long spatula to brown the other side, covering with lid both times.
• While loaves are browning on the second side, sauté sliced mushrooms in a small pan in a teaspoon of butter or olive oil for about five minutes. In a medium-sized pot, combine a large can of diced tomatoes, a jar of your favorite prepared spaghetti sauce, the mushrooms, and the rest of the sautéed peppers and onions. Stir and let simmer for a few minutes, then add to meatloaves. Cover pan, turn heat down to low, and let loaves cook through, about an hour. Serve with blanched green beans and white rice.

CLASSIC MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Combine the meatloaf mix, breadcrumbs, parsley, eggs, onion, garlic, 1/4 cup of the ketchup, 1 tablespoon of the Worcestershire, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix together until well combined.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and form it into a compact oval-shaped loaf about 9 inches by 5 inches. Bake the meatloaf for 30 minutes.
• Stir the brown sugar together with the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire in a small bowl for the glaze. Brush the top and sides of the meatloaf all over with the glaze. Return to the oven and bake until the glaze starts to caramelize and a thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 160 degrees F, about 25 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

MEATLOAF WITH PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set it aside.
• Place the mushrooms in a food processor, and pulse until they are very finely chopped; scrape them into a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic cloves to the food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the egg substitute and 1 tablespoon of the ketchup, and puree until the garlic is smooth. Scrape the garlic mixture into the bowl containing the mushrooms.
• Add the beef, parsley, and panko to the bowl. Add the salt and season with pepper to taste. Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients until they are just combined.
• On the prepared baking sheet, form the meat mixture into an 8 × 4 × 1 1/2-inch loaf. Brush the remaining ketchup over the loaf. Bake until the meatloaf is cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Allow the meatloaf to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Fat: 36g (before), 8.9g (after)
• Calories: 520 (before), 212 (after)
• Protein: 21g
• Carbohydrates: 11g
• Cholesterol: 55mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sodium: 400mg

ITALIAN AMERICAN MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the bread cubes in a medium bowl, and pour the milk over them. Let the bread soak until it is soft. Meanwhile, combine the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor, and pulse to make a fine-textured paste or pestata.
• When the bread is soft, squeeze out the excess milk and put the bread in a large mixing bowl. Mix the pestata, ground meats, scallions, grated cheese, marinara sauce, parsley, salt, and oregano with the bread, using your hands to distribute all of the ingredients evenly. Oil a 10-by-15-inch Pyrex or ceramic baking dish with the olive oil. Form the meat mixture into a loaf in the oiled pan.
• Place in the oven, and bake until browned and cooked through (the center of the meatloaf should read 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Note
• About dried oregano: I typically like fresh herbs, but in the case of oregano I prefer it dried. However, I do not like the jarred product: I always buy a bouquet of dried oregano, from either Italy or Greece. It comes wrapped in a plastic bag and is easy to handle. Just rub the oregano in the plastic between your hands and shake the loose leaves out from one side. Then wrap the bouquet to seal it, and store in a dry place for next time.
• Oregano is great to flavor sauces, stuffing, in braised meats, and on pizza and focaccia. I even use it when I make myself sunny-side-up eggs with grated Grana Padano.