Italian Style Meatloaf Recipe

The meatloaf is the quintessential American meal.  It is believed that it was created during the Depression when stretching a small amount of meat with fillers to feed the family was important.  Since the meatloaf is an American meal and not an Italian dish, I am calling my recipe Italian style since many of the ingredients and flavors in it are Italian.  Below is my recipe for a very delicious Italian Style Meatloaf.

Ingredients:

1 pound  ground chuck
1/2 pound of Italian mild ground sausage
1 cup of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce, divided
2  eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1/3 cup of shredded zucchini
1/4 cup of mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Instructions:

You will want to preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Next, lightly grease your loaf pan with your cooking spray.

Then take a large mixing bowl and add in your ground chuck, ground sausage, 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, parsley, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and mix your ingredients together with your hands.

Now, place your meat mixture into your loaf pan and place your loaf pan on a baking sheet and place it into your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

When it has cooked for 30 minutes and it is nice and has browned on top remove it from the oven, drain the grease out of the loaf pan and then brush the remaining 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce over the top of the meatloaf and then place it back into the oven and bake for an additional 40 minutes.  When finished remove your meatloaf from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes. Then slice your meatloaf and serve immediately.