The Secret to This Family Favorite Meatloaf Recipe? Italian Sausage! (2025)

Table of Contents

How Dad Makes Meatloaf Taste Amazing Why Cook the Veggies First? How Long To Cook Meatloaf Can't Get Enough Meatloaf? How to Avoid Crumbly Slices of Meatloaf How Long Does Meatloaf Keep? My Dad's Favorite Meatloaf Ingredients Method Simple Tip! References

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Make the best meatloaf ever with ground beef and pork sausage.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated September 26, 2023

101 Ratings

In This Recipe

Amazing Tasting Meatloaf
Homemade Is Worth It
How Long to Cook
See Also
Christmas Venison Italian Sausage Recipe with Red Wine Vinegar - Blend of Bites Deer Jerky Recipe - The Frugal Farm Wife Homemade Venison Dry Rub Recipe Sheboygan Brats Recipe - How to Make Sheboygan Bratwurst
How to Avoid Crumbly Slices of Meatloaf
How To Store

This classic meatloaf recipe is one of the first recipes we put on Simply Recipes over ten years ago. Meatloaf is one of my father's favorite things to cook and anytime we kids know he's making his homemade meatloaf, we make our way to my parents' house for dinner.

The Secret to This Family Favorite Meatloaf Recipe? Italian Sausage! (3)

How Dad Makes Meatloaf Taste Amazing

My dad's trick to meatloaf? He mixes Italian pork sausage (half sweet, half spicy) in with ground beef. The original recipe came from an old issue of Gourmet (April 1994) and my father has been changing it over the years to his taste (including using Italian sausage instead of plain ground pork). It's no ordinary meatloaf.

Why Cook the Veggies First?

It takes a little extra prep time to make the "sofritto" base of minced carrots, onions, celery, and garlic, but it is so so worth it! Like a giant Italian meatball, in loaf form. Meatball meatloaf.

It may look like the sofritto is a time consuming extra step for meatloaf, but you can easily put the vegetables in a food processor or mini chopper to speed up the prep time. The smaller mince size that you can get with the food processor will also help the meatloaf hold together better.

The Secret to This Family Favorite Meatloaf Recipe? Italian Sausage! (4)

How Long To Cook Meatloaf

Since meatloaf is quite dense packed into a loaf pan, it takes a little while to bake. It also needs to be baked at a relatively low temperature so the outside doesn't finish baking and start drying out before the center is done.

Bake this meatloaf for about an hour at 350°F, and then check it with a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf—the center should be at least 155°F when done.

Can't Get Enough Meatloaf?

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How to Avoid Crumbly Slices of Meatloaf

This meatloaf is tender and moist, which can make it slightly challenging to slice into clean slices that don't crumble. For a meatloaf that's easier to slice, knead the meat and vegetable mixture for a couple of minutes before forming it into a compact loaf. Note that this will change the texture of the finished meatloaf, making it denser.

TIP! Try mixing the meatloaf in a mixer. It's fast and you get the whole mix more thoroughly integrated.

The Easiest Way to Make MeatloafREAD MORE:

Letting the loaf cool for several minutes before slicing will also help it stay together. You can store leftover meatloaf uncut, then slice it while it's cold (and easier to cut) before reheating.

How Long Does Meatloaf Keep?

Store tightly covered meatloaf in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for 1 minute, adding 15 seconds at a time if necessary to heat them through.

To freeze, allow the meatloaf to cool completely. Wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

My Dad's Favorite Meatloaf

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time75 mins

Total Time100 mins

Servings4to 6 servings

Yield1 loaf

Italian sausage makes a difference in this meatloaf recipe! We use a combination of spicy and sweet, but it you only have one, choose sweet Italian sausage.

Save prep time by roughly chopping the celery, carrot, onion, green onions, and garlic and pulsing them in a food processor or mini-chopper to get them finely chopped.

You can also use a food processor to make the breadcrumbs: take a couple slices of fresh bread and pulse in until you have crumbs. (Even though the breadcrumbs come after the vegetables in the instructions, pulse them in the food processor first so it is dry when you add the bread.)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 carrot,finely chopped
1/2 cup finely choppedgreen onion
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
3/4 pound sweet ground Italian sausage, or a mix of sweet and hot Italian sausage if you are using links
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
Cook the vegetables, season, and add Worcestershire and half the ketchup:
Melt the butter in a large, thick-bottomed skillet, on medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the finely chopped onions, celery, carrot, green onions and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender, stirring every so often.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup ketchup. Cook for another minute and remove from heat to cool.
Simple Tip!
To cool the vegetables more quickly, remove them from the pan and spread them on a plate.
Make the meatloaf mixture:
Once the vegetables have cooled to the touch, place them in a large bowl with the ground beef, Italian sausage, eggs, breadcrumbs and parsley. Use your (very clean) hands to mix them together until everything is evenly distributed.
Place in the loaf pan, cover with remaining ketchup:
Place the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan (either 4-x 8-inch or 5- x 9-inch) and press to make compact in the pan. Or you can form a free-standing loaf onto a rimmed baking pan. Cover the meatloaf mixture with the rest of the ketchup.
Bake:
Bake for 1 hour at 350°F, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf reads 155°F.
Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to gently lift the meatloaf out of the loaf pan to a serving plate.
Serve:
Cut into thick slices to serve. The meatloaf makes great leftovers, just chill and reheat. Slices are good in sandwiches as well.

Easy Family Dinners
Comfort Food
Easy Ground Beef
Ground Pork

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
713	Calories
44g	Fat
30g	Carbs
49g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	713
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 44g	56%
Saturated Fat 17g	85%
Cholesterol 212mg	71%
Sodium 1498mg	65%
Total Carbohydrate 30g	11%
Dietary Fiber 3g	10%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 49g
Vitamin C 10mg	52%
Calcium 129mg	10%
Iron 6mg	34%
Potassium 941mg	20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.