Sorry to all the classic ketchup-slicked meat loaves of yore. There’s a new hot loaf in town. It’s still a bread-bound, rich loaf of meat, but we’re skipping the ketchup and onion and building flavor with Italian sausage as the base and grated garlic, Parmesan, and mozzarella as the flavoring agents. This loaf is allll about the interplay of crisp and tender. Cheese oozes out of every slice, and to take it OTT, we fry each slice in a skillet until crispy and browned. You can understand why the bright arugula-herb salad on the side is simply not optional.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘More is More' by Molly Baz. Buy the full book on Amazon.
All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
$19 At Amazon
9x5 Loaf Pan
$16 At Amazon
Aluminum Foil
$5 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Make the meatloaf
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Step 2
In a large bowl, beat 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon salt.
Step 3
Tear 6 ounces French bread into 3-inch pieces (crusts as well), place them in a fine-mesh strainer, and run them under cold water to moisten and soften them. Wring out as much water as possible and add them to the bowl of beaten eggs. Whisk to incorporate.
Step 4
Remove the casings from 2 pounds spicy Italian sausage and add the meat to the bowl.
Step 5
Grate 3 ounces Parmesan (about ¾ cup) into the bowl, reserving the remaining ounce for shaving later. Finely grate in 5 garlic cloves into the bowl. Using your hands, squeeze, knead, and work the mixture together until it’s homogeneous and pasty. You don’t want big chunks of bread floating around. It should all be pretty uniform.
Step 6
Tear 3 ounces mozzarella cheese (about½ ball) into bite-size pieces and gently work them into the meatloaf mixture.
Step 7
Pat the meatloaf mixture into a 9 x 5-inch (or similar size) loaf pan, pressing firmly to evenly pack it in. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 150°F, 70 to 90 minutes. Let cool, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes.
Crisp the meatloaf
Step 8
Remove the meatloaf from the loaf pan and slice it into 1½-inch-thick slices.
Step 9
In a large nonstick skillet, heat a big glug of olive oil over medium heat. Working in batches, add the meatloaf slices and cook, undisturbed, until deeply golden brown and crisp on the bottom, about 3 minutes, then flip and repeat on the other side. Transfer to a large plate and repeat with the remaining slices.
Assemble the salad and serve
Step 10
In a medium bowl, combine 3 big handfuls of arugula and the leaves of 1 small bunch of basil with lots of big shards of parm. Dress the arugula salad with the juice of 2 lemons, a couple glugs of olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper—it should be bright and lemony.
Recipe notes
Back to topSee Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
39 Molly Baz Recipes for Maximalist Cooking Fun
The cookbook author, video host, and former Epicurious and Bon Appétit recipe developer shows us how to go big, and stay home.Molly Baz Wants You to Use More Garlic
In *More Is More*, the chef and cookbook author toes the line of “too much,” and we can’t get enough.
