Meatloaf has been a popular dish that’s served in every home for decades. ‘Polpette‘ or ‘polpettone‘ is the Italian word for this giant ‘meatball’ usually a combination of different kinds of ground meat. This substantial family-sized dish belovedly served in Italy or Italian communities around the world is just wonderful.
Italian meatloaf is absolutely a crowd-pleaser and can be served plain or with sauce.
INGREDIENTS
250 g Italian sausages
1 large (350 g) red capsicum,
chopped finely
1 large (200 g) brown
onion, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic,
chopped finely
500 g beef mince
100 g sliced salami or
chorizo, coarsely chopped
½ cup good-quality
pitted black olives
¾ cup (50 g) panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup (80 ml) good-quality
barbecue sauce
2 eggs, beaten lightly
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
125 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 x 400 g can diced tomatoes
basil leaves, for garnish
salad or seasonal green
vegetables, to serve
METHOD
1 Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
2 Line a 1.5 litre loaf tin (e.g. 20 cm x 12 cm x 8 cm) with plastic wrap to mould meatloaf in. Using baking paper,
line a baking tray big enough to hold the loaf tin (a lamington tray is perfect).
3 Remove sausages from their skins, crumble and, in a large bowl, combine with capsicum, onion, garlic, beef mince,
salami or chorizo, olives, breadcrumbs, barbecue sauce, egg and parsley. Press this mixture tightly into the loaf tin,
then turn it out onto the baking dish and remove the loaf tin which has acted as a mould. Combine cherry and
canned tomatoes and pour evenly over the meatloaf.
4 Bake meatloaf, uncovered, for about 1 hour or until cooked through. If the cherry tomatoes start to burn, cover
with tinfoil. Stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with salad or steamed vegetables, as desired.
If you love this recipe, try another meatloaf recipe, here.
