Cheesy Italian Meatloaf Recipe

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A family favorite meatloaf recipe, that's easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings

Calories 212

Author Kim

Ingredients

1.50 pounds ground beef, bison, turkey or chicken*
1 large egg, whisked
20 saltine crackers, crushed
1/3 cup ketchup
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 cup lite mozzarella cheese, divided**
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon dried basil + fresh chopped basil or parsley as garnish if desired
1/8 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. and prepare 9x5 loaf pan by lining it with foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, except 1/2 of the tomato sauce and the mozzarella.
After ingredients are combined, transfer the meatloaf mixture to a flat surface, covered with parchment or wax paper. Shape the meatloaf into an oval or square and sprinkle most of the mozzarella over the middle of the meatloaf. Save about 1/4 cup of the mozzarella for the topping. Next, roll the meatloaf up and place it in the loaf pan. Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to press the meatloaf down so that it is all even at the top. Pour the reserved 1/2 of tomato sauce over the top and spread out evenly.
Bake for 1 hour. Once cooked, remove from oven and sprinkle additional mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake for about 10-15 minutes more.
Allow meatloaf to cool for about 10 minutes and then cut loaf into 8 even slices. Enjoy with a side salad or another favorite side dish!

Notes

* The original recipe calls for ground beef, I used lean ground bison (90/10) and have successfully used lean ground turkey too.

** The original recipe calls for 2 cups mozzarella. I always use lite cheese and I reduced this to 1 cup. Use as much or as little as you would like. You can also opt to not add additional cheese to the top. I just think it makes for more enticing photos. :)

*** For almost every ingredient I used high quality Simple Truth Organic products from Kroger and I really do think this will make the best tasting meatloaf!

TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE: Use gluten free crackers.

TO MAKE DAIRY FREE: Use dairy free cheese.

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