Sicilian Meatloaf

Sicilian Meatloaf is scrumptious comfort food that’s easy enough to make for family dinners, yet impressive enough to make for guests.

Growing Up with a Traditional Meatloaf

Growing up, I was not a huge fan of meatloaf. My mom would make it from time to time, but it was not necessarily my favorite meal.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with her meatloaf. She made a very traditional meatloaf with either saltine crackers or oatmeal and then the usual egg, ketchup and onion.

Taking Meatloaf to the Next Level

When I got to be a little bit older, my Dad would make Sicilian meatloaf occasionally. This meatloaf was filled with ham and mozzarella cheese and rolled up like a jelly roll.

This one was more to my taste and always felt like a special meal, probably because it looked like it was really hard to make, but read on, it’s not. I always looked forward to the times he made this dish.

Making the Sicilian Meatloaf

A number of  years ago, I decided that I needed to make my own version of Sicilian meatloaf. What I came up with is a meatloaf that has all of the same flavors as an Italian meatball. As you may expect, this meatloaf has Italian breadcrumbs, eggs, parmesan cheese and tomato paste.

To give the meatloaf even more flavor, it has onion, garlic and red pepper that’s been sautéed in a little olive oil. While adding great flavor, the veggies also help the meatloaf stay nice and moist.

Finally, it’s flattened out and topped with deli ham, shredded mozzarella cheese and basil, then rolled up like a jelly roll. It’s absolutely delicious served with pasta or zucchini noodles, then topped with marinara sauce and extra parmesan cheese.

A Great Meal for Entertaining

This is definitely a great family meal, but it’s also perfect for entertaining. The meatloaf can be assembled early in the day and then popped in the oven about an hour before you’re ready to eat.

Serve the meatloaf over pasta or zucchini noodles along with your favorite pasta sauce, some crusty bread and a tossed salad. Your guests are sure to rave about it.

Tips and Tricks

• To stream line the process of assembling the meatloaf prep all of your ingredients first. Chop all of the veggies and measure out all of the additional ingredients.
• Take the ground beef out of the refrigerator while you’re prepping the ingredients. Taking the chill off will make it easier to work with as you’re mixing in the other ingredients.
• Once you’ve sautéed the vegetables, allow them to cool down for a few minutes before mixing them into the beef. You don’t want the meatloaf to start cooking from the heat (plus you don’t want to burn your hands).
• Your hands are your best tool for combining the ground beef with all of the ingredients. Make sure you don’t over-work the meat, that could result in a denser texture.
• After you roll up the meatloaf, make sure you’re pinching together all of the seams. You don’t want all of that delicious cheese to leak out.
• It’s important to let the meatloaf rest for a good 10 minutes before slicing. This will let it cool down just enough so that all of the cheese doesn’t ooze out.

Ingredients Needed to Make Sicilian Meatloaf

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Olive oil 
• Red bell pepper – This is my preference, both for the sweetness and the vibrant color. But, if you happen to have green, orange or yellow bell peppers on hand, by all means, go ahead and use that.
• Red onion – This is also my preference, I like that they are somewhat milder than other varieties like yellow or white onion. But yellow or white will also work just fine.
• Garlic – For flavor
• Ground beef – I generally use 90% lean, but 85% lean would also work. I wouldn’t recommend beef with a higher fat content as that would tend to make the meatloaf turn out greasy and I wouldn’t recommend anything leaner than 90% as that would potentially make the meatloaf dry.
• Italian style breadcrumbs – Italian style (rather than plain) will add to the flavor as well as helping to bind the meatloaf together.
• Parmesan cheese – I always use grated vs. shredded. Grated will be much more evenly distributed in that meatloaf.
• Eggs – Along with the breadcrumbs, this binds the meatloaf together.
• Tomato paste – This helps to deepen the flavor of the meatloaf.
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Parsley – I prefer fresh, but dried will work if that’s what you’ve got on hand.
• Deli ham – I recommend uncured deli ham. I feel liked smoked ham can overpower the flavor of the meatloaf.
• Fresh basil leaves – Fresh vs. dried is necessary since you will be layering whole leaves in the stuffing.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese – I use pre-shredded for convenience, but you can also shred your own.
• Marinara sauce – This is my go-to sauce  that I’ve been making for decades and is a family favorite.
• Cooked pasta or zucchini noodles

How to Make Sicilian Meatloaf

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion and red pepper.
• Sauté for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.
• Add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• In a large mixing bowl, add ground beef, bread crumbs, parmesan, eggs, tomato paste, salt, pepper, parsley and vegetable mixture.
• With your hands, mix until everything is well combined.
• Take a large sheet of parchment paper and lay it out on the counter.
• Place your meat mixture in the center.
• Pat meat mixture out to form a rectangle about 8″x15″.
• Top rectangle with a layer of ham, a layer of fresh basil and then a layer of cheese, leaving a 1 inch border all around.
• Starting at the 8 inch end, roll the meatloaf up, jelly roll style, using the parchment paper to help guide you.
• Press down on top seam to seal and press the ends together to seal as well.
• Place roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven.
• Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Serve with pasta or zucchini noodles, if desired and top with marinara sauce.

More Comfort Food Recipes

• Weeknight Chicken and Dumplings
• A Healthier Tator Tot Casserole
• Italian Beef Stew
• Beer Braised Pot Roast
• Chicken and Rice Cordon Bleu Casserole

This post was originally published on 11/03/11 and updated on 9/16/24.