There’s meatloaf, and then there’s meatloaf stuffed with CHEESE! Once you try ricotta meatloaf you’ll never think of meatloaf the same way again…get ready for them to ask for seconds and thirds!
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Why we love this recipe
I think meatloaf can have a bad rap…at least around my house. I personally am a fervent meatloaf lover, but some other folks around my table…not as much.
Which for me is just an irresistible challenge to make a meatloaf that non-meatloaf-lovers will like…if not fall head over heels for. 🥰
A meat loaf whose memory will last us until the next time I make meatloaf. And my friends, this cheese-packed ricotta meatloaf with tomato sauce is exactly the meat loaf to do that.
I can’t remember where I first came this meatloaf, but when I started looking around for ways to incorporate cheese into meatloaf they all seemed to be based on one created by the amazing Lidia Bastianich.
In a nutshell, it’s the same meatloaf we all know and love, but there’s a good amount of ricotta swirled into the meat mixture…and you KNOW I am always looking for any excuse to make my own ricotta cheese.
Not that you HAVE to make your own ricotta for this recipe, but it sure is satisfying!
And if that wasn’t enough, this recipe also features cubes of mozzarella cheese that melt into wonderfulness as the meat loaf bakes.
And if THAT wasn’t enough, it’s served topped with tomato sauce (I used my favorite sauce, the incredible tomato butter sauce that cooks up in a jif with just three ingredients and will guarantee that you never even LOOK at a jar of pre-made tomato sauce again as long as you live.)
Now, I followed Lidia’s meatloaf approach pretty closely with one major exception, and that was the amount of ingredients and the amount of cooking time – I cut both of them pretty much in half. Here’s how my version goes.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Meat: You can either use all ground chuck steak – we suggest the 80/20 fat version for maximum flavor – or the meatloaf combo of beef, pork and veal that some supermarkets carry.
- Bread: Use whatever kind you have on hand – the last time I made this meatloaf I used leftover hamburger rolls!
- Ricotta: If you are using store bought ricotta, the full fat version works best.
- Mozzarella: Go for the fresh kind in the fancy cheese section of your supermarket. It tastes AMAZING.
- Tomato sauce: We like this three ingredient tomato sauce recipe which cooks up while your meatloaf bakes, but your favorite jarred version is just fine too.
How to make this recipe
There’s a link to the cookbook that has Lidia’s original recipe right under my slightly adapted version, so if you are cooking for a crowd (8 or more) that one is what you want. And then after you make it, you are going to want to go check out of Lidia’s fabulous cookbooks asap!
But if you are cooking for a smaller group, here comes my modified version.
STEP 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
STEP 2: Pour the milk over the bread cubes and let soak for a few minutes until the bread is saturated. Squeeze the soft bread a handful at a time, pressing out as much milk as you can, crumble bread into crumbs with your fingers and place in a large mixing bowl.
STEP 3: Add the ground beef to the bowl, breaking it up into small pieces as you add it. Add the eggs, ricotta, scallions, grated cheese, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and mix everything together (your clean hands are the very best for this!)
STEP 4: Add the mozzarella cubes and work them through the meat mixture until they are evenly distributed.
STEP 5: Place a metal cooling rack in a rimmed baking pan and brush it with olive oil. I usually also line the pan with foil for easier clean-up.
STEP 6: Shape the meat mixture into an oval loaf and lay it on the rack.
STEP 7: Brush the loaf with olive oil and cover the roasting pan with foil, tenting it up so it doesn’t touch the meat loaf. Bake for 45 minutes.
STEP 8: Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover again with the foil and let the meat loaf rest for 15 minutes. Don’t be tempted to rush right into slicing it up – your gorgeous meatloaf needs time to firm up. Heat up the tomato sauce while you are waiting.
STEP 9: Slice thickly and pour the tomato sauce on top. Garnish with more chopped parsley and serve.
Recipe FAQs
You can! It’s now pretty easy to find near the ground beef, and is usually a mixture of beef, pork and veal in one package. It does give an extra boost of flavor!
It can be put together ahead of time, all the way up to the baking…but I would do that right before dinnertime just for optimal cheese meltage. And the leftovers (if there are any) are going to make the world’s best sandwich!
Drop your question in the comments and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
It’s pretty much a rule that you need to serve up mashed potatoes with meatloaf. This recipe for baked mashed potatoes is our current fave.
And if you want some green veggies on the side (always a good idea), how about this green bean and cherry tomato salad?
And if you still have room for dessert, we vote for these easy mini apple pies!
Other meatloaf recipes we love!
Could you leave us some stars?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Ricotta Meatloaf
There’s meatloaf, and then there’s meatloaf stuffed with cheese! Once you try ricotta meatloaf you’ll never think of meatloaf the same way again.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups day-old bread cubes
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 2 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 1 cup fresh ricotta
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
- 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups warm tomato sauce (try the “Best Tomato Sauce In The World” recipe on this blog for a great quick homemade version!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pour the milk over the bread cubes and let soak for a few minutes until the bread is saturated. Squeeze the soft bread a handful at a time, pressing out as much milk as you can, crumble bread into crumbs with your fingers and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the ground beef to the bowl, breaking it up into small pieces as you add it. Add the eggs, ricotta, scallions, grated cheese, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and mix everything together (your clean hands are the very best for this!)
- Add the mozzarella cubes and work them through the meat mixture until they are evenly distributed.
- Place a metal cooling rack in a rimmed baking pan and brush it with olive oil. Shape the meat mixture into an oval loaf and lay it on the rack. Brush the loaf with olive oil and cover the pan with foil, tenting it up so it doesn’t touch the meat loaf. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover again with the foil and let the meat loaf rest for 15 minutes. Heat up the tomato sauce while you are waiting.
- Slice thickly and pour the tomato sauce on top. Garnish with more chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
-
- Meat: You can either use all ground chuck steak – we suggest the 80/20 fat version for maximum flavor – or the meatloaf combo of beef, pork and veal that some supermarkets carry.
-
- Bread: Use whatever kind you have on hand – the last time I made this meatloaf I used leftover hamburger rolls!
-
- Ricotta: If you are using store bought ricotta, the full fat version works best.
-
- Mozzarella: Go for the fresh kind in the fancy cheese section of your supermarket. It tastes AMAZING.
-
- Tomato sauce: We like this three ingredient tomato sauce recipe which cooks up while your meatloaf bakes, but your favorite jarred version is just fine too.
Slightly adapted from Lidia’s marvelous recipe
Anthony says
I will be making this tonite for my fiancรฉ, fingers crossed, will let you know how it goes, cheers
Hi Anthony and I hope you both loved it! :)
Marilu Reznik says
OK I have to be honest that I have been following you for probably close to 10 years or more and if I ever need any ideas, I land on your website. Itโs always spectacular!
I made this recipe about six years ago and it was delicious. I have a favor to ask you though. Do you think you could update this recipe to complete in an air fryer? Iโm pretty good at following your recipes , but this time I tried to make it in the air fryer and it was a hot mess.
Also, I love this page but itโs getting tricky to navigate with all of the adsโฆ Especially the noisy ones. Love you even over the noise.
Hi Marilu and first of all, THANK YOU for your support of my blog – it really means the world to me. Big hug. Next, I so wish I could help with your air fryer question, but can you believe I don’t have one? I’ve never used one (too much stuff going on in my regular oven I guess!) but here is a link from another blog I know and trust that hopefully could help: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/air-fryer-meatloaf/ – obviously it’s got some different ingredients but I’m thinking you could use the ricotta meatloaf recipe and adapt Holly’s air fryer cooking method. Fingers crossed! As for those ads – I do hear you. This is the craziest time of year for ads, and I promise I will do my best to get them to pipe down a bit. They are most noticeable on a phone, I know, so if you have a tablet or a desktop computer handy that might help. One way or the other – thank you again and I hope your holidays are the merriest! :)
Marilu Reznik says
Thank you so much! I will definitely look it up and try it again. I forgot to mention that although it didnโt look quite like I had hoped, it was delicious and your recipes are always a huge hit. I got rid of my microwave, but replaced it with an air fryer. Iโm only cooking for one and it is fast and fabulous.
. Thank you for all the great ideas and I wish you a very happy and healthy, holiday and new year!
You are so welcome! I probably should give the air fryer a chance – you have inspired me! :)
Licia says
Once you make this meatloaf you will never make a different one again. My fiancรฉ begs me to make it just to cut up and freeze for his lunches whenever he wants it. I make it, cut into slices and pour a marinara around the slice in a ziplock and he has 6 lunches ready to go. A great quick cheat, I use RAO’s marinara right out of the jar to pour over the slices and freeze. My marinara is amazing but quite frankly so is theirs and it makes it that much easier. The meatloaf is soooo good the sauce is really just to keep things moist. GREAT recipe….
Licia, thank you so much! (And I love Rao’s sauce too!)
Sharry says
Omg the best meatloaf recipe! My husband is not a big fan of meatloaf but loved this. He said no ketchup needed for a leftover meatloaf sandwich. I made the butter tomato sauce to pour over it. Fantastic!!!
Sharry! Thank you so so much – this is our family’s favorite meatloaf too. And aren’t leftover meatloaf sandwiches just the best??
Kathie Kelling says
I make a ground turkey meatloaf with Feta cheese, adding a 6 oz can of Herdez salsa for extra flavor.
Hi Kathie! I’ve never heard of that salsa – I’m going to have to look it up! And I’m working on a turkey meatloaf recipe as we speak – great minds think alike!
Kathie Kelling says
Kate, it may not be as available on the east coat. It is a Mexican brand but available in our stores in Phoenix too.
I’ll have to look it up the next time I travel West! :)
Ellie says
The best meatloaf I have ever made and the tomato sauce was transcendental. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Ellie and oh my gosh, what a lovely comment! I’m so glad you liked it – yay meatloaf! :)
jan says
Could I use bread crumbs instead the bread cubes with milk??? If so how much bread crumbs?
Hmm, I’ve never tried that. I don’t see any reason why not – I would use a cup of breadcrumbs, since if you made the cubes into crumbs they would probably shrink down to that. Make sure you are using fresh bread crumbs though – the packaged, dried kind won’t absorb the milk as well. Hope this helps!
maggi bell says
why doe Lydias 3 lb meatloaf with ricotta cooking time 2 hr and 15 min and yet her 3 lb italian meatloaf call for a much shorter time
Frank says
Can this recipe be used with turkey meat instead of beef?
Hi Frank! I’ve never made it that way, but I think if you used dark meat turkey it might be okay – I would not use white meat ground turkey as I think it might come out too dry. If you try it, will you come back and tell us how it came out? :)
Jo Ann Prout says
I have one made with 2.25 lbs. of 85% lean turkey as I write. I have all the confidence that it will be delicious. I poured a little olive oil into the mixture just in case.
Thanks Jo Ann – and adding the olive oil was a great idea. :)
Eileen says
How many calories per slice if made with ground turkey?
Hi Eileen – I wish I could help but I don’t calculate the calories for my recipe – sorry not to be more helpful!
Elizabeth says
This meatloaf is so flavorful it really doesn’t need either sauce or ketchup. Really good the next day for sandwiches. I did use 1/4 pork + 3/4 beef because I think it adds depth to the dish. But, with 3 cheeses, what’s not to like.
Kate says
Right there with you on the cheese! :)
ruthie says
I make small meatloafs, too. It makes a nice dinner, but my secret vice is the meatloaf sandwiches. I bet this makes a killer sandwich. :)
Thanks1
Kate says
Oh yes. And is there anything better than a meatloaf sandwich? (I’ll answer that – there’s not!) :)
Joanne says
Ricotta is such a fun secret meatloaf ingredient. Leave it to Lidia!!
Kate says
She’s the best!!
Karen Nelson says
Just finished a meatloaf! Will give this one a try next time… and check out her cook books!
Love leftover meatloaf and a meatloaf sandwich!
I like to crisp up each side just a little in a skillet!
Kate says
Meatloaf sandwiches – one of the best things in the entire world! :)