Italian Stuffed Meat Loaf

A party-size meatloaf built in layers, this is Italian-American cooking at its most exuberant: seasoned ground meat spiked with Parmesan, horseradish, and a pantry of herbs, stuffed with a cheesy vegetable filling of zucchini, mushrooms, and olives, then finished with spaghetti sauce and a blanket of melted mozzarella.

Size matters here: 10 pounds of ground turkey, chicken, or beef serves twenty, so this is a serious gathering dish. The stuffing-mix binder, six eggs, and two cans of tomato help hold that volume together through a 90-minute bake.

Layering technique is the make-or-break step. Press half the meat mixture firmly into the pan to form a dense base, spread the zucchini-mushroom-olive-cheese filling across, then press the remaining meat over top and crimp the edges tightly. Any gap and the filling leaks out during baking.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) until the center is fully set, about an hour and a half. A meat thermometer should read 160°F (71°C) in the meat for poultry, 155°F (68°C) for beef. Let it rest before slicing so the layers hold.

Pro Tips

• Use a deep roasting pan and line with parchment for easy lift-out.
• Drain the canned mushrooms and olives hard, excess liquid pools at the bottom.
• Seal meat edges by pressing firmly with wet fingers, dry hands drag the filling.
• Tent with foil if the top browns too quickly, uncover in the last 15 minutes for cheese melt.

Variations

• Scale the recipe in half for smaller dinners, bake time drops to about an hour.
• Swap turkey for ground beef plus Italian sausage for a richer result.
• Add a layer of roasted red peppers to the filling for sweetness.