Italian Meatloaf with Spicy Tomato Sauce |
Author: Nicole
Meatloaf
- 4 slices Italian bread without crust, broken into rough pieces and soaked in 1 cup milk (skim is fine)
- 2 pounds ground beef (80%/20%)
- ¼ pound sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 1 cup fine plain or Italian-seasoned bread crumbs (to coat the meatloaf)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4-14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (mixed into sauce)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
For Meatloaf
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Drain the bread and squeeze it with your hands into a soft pulp.
- In a large bowl combine the bread, beef, prosciutto, eggs, parsley and parmigiano-reggiano, and season with salt and just a bit of black pepper.
- Mix well with your hands or with a large spoon until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Shape the mixture into a large, rectangular loaf.
- Spread breadcrumbs on a large piece of aluminum foil and roll the meatloaf in the bread crumbs to coat all sides.
- Coat a large baking dish with olive oil.
- Place meatloaf in dish and brush some oil on top.
- Bake until golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes.
For Tomato Sauce
- While the meatloaf is in the oven, heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
- Add garlic and stir until it begins to color, less than 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and season with salt and red pepper. Cook 10-12 minutes, stirring a few times. Add parsley and stir.
- After meatloaf has cooked for 50 to 60 minutes, carefully tilt the baking dish and discard about three-quarters of the fat and watery juices that have accumulated. Depending on the fat content of the meat, you may not have much juice – if that’s the case, don’t pour any of the juices off.
- Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf and bakes 20 minutes longer. It's okay if it's still a little pink inside.
- Cool the meatloaf 5 minutes before slicing.
- Serve topped with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and sprinkled with fresh parsley.
* Both the meatloaf (steps prior to cooking) and sauce can be made up to a day ahead of time. There’s no need to warm up the tomato sauce since it’s going in the oven.
* Serving suggestion: Both gnocchi and mashed potatoes soak up the tomato sauce quite nicely.
Recipe by Riegl Palate at https://www.rieglpalate.com/italian-meatloaf-with-spicy-tomato-sauce/
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