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Easy Italian Meatloaf

A baked loaf of ground beef mixed with ketchup, garlic, olive oil, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 25,665 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Easy Italian Meatloaf

Oven350°F, then 375°F
Time1 hour, then 15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

  2. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

  3. By hand, mix all ingredients until well blended.

Shape and bake

  1. Shape meatloaf into desired shape, drizzle oil over top and rub by hand.

  2. Wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet.

  3. Bake in oven for 1 hour.

  4. Raise temperature to 375°F and unwrap meatloaf.

  5. Bake for another 15 minutes for crust to form.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1044Calories
57 gProtein
43 gFat
104 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Olive + breadtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,091 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

  3. Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,368 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Clove + olivetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,866 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  5. Olive + parmesan cheesetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,233 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ground beef
Provides the main body and rich flavor of the loaf.
Egg
Binds the mixture so the loaf holds its shape when sliced.
Italian-style bread crumbs
Absorb moisture and help keep the loaf tender rather than dense.
Parmesan cheese
Adds savory, salty depth and helps the surface brown.
Garlic
Contributes aromatic, savory flavor throughout the meat.

The step that matters

Unwrapping and raising the temperature. The foil keeps the loaf moist during the first hour; removing it and raising the heat lets the surface dry and brown, forming a crust. Leaving it wrapped would steam the surface instead.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, ketchup, garlic, olive, egg, bread, parmesan cheese):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Basilfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, ketchup, garlic, olive, egg, bread, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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