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Italian Pork Meatloaf

Inspired by polpettone or 'big meatball', Italian Pork Meatloaf combines pork mince, herbs, garlic, fennel, lemon and Parmesan in an easy, tasty pancetta-wrapped bake you can serve hot or cold.

Replace half the pork with beef or veal mince if preferred.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Starter, Lunch, Light Meal
Cuisine Italian
Keyword pork mince, mince recipes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4 as a main course
Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium to large onion finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1 heaped tsp fennel seeds lightly crushed
  • 500 g pork mince
  • 50 g breadcrumbs
  • 30 g Parmesan cheese finely grated
  • 3 rounded tsp mixed dried herbs e.g. oregano, basil, marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme
  • 1 lemon zest only
  • ½ - 1 tsp chilli flakes optional
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 100 g thin pancetta slices or smoked streaky bacon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200C/180Fan/Gas 6.

    Line a shallow roasting tray with baking paper.

  2. Put the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

    Add the onion and garlic plus a little salt and pepper.

    Cook, stirring often, until soft and golden (10-15 min): stir in the fennel seeds for the final 2 min.

    Take off the heat.

  3. Take a large bowl and put in all the rest of the ingredients plus the cooked onion and garlic but NOT the pancetta or bacon.

    Season with half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper.

    Mix well so the mixture comes together into one mass, squeezing it together with your hands.

    Recommended: take a teaspoon of the mixture, roll into a ball and cook in the wiped-out frying pan. Taste, and add more seasoning, herbs, lemon etc. to the remaining mixture if needed.

  4. Lay the pancetta or bacon slices on the lined roasting tray (if you have short slices then lay half of them, if you have long ones then lay them all on).

    Pile the meatloaf mixture on top of the slices and shape it into a rectangular block, pressing together well.

    With long pancetta slices, pull them up around the loaf to cover it. With short slices, pull them up around the loaf as far as you can, then use the remaining slices to cover any gaps. Cover the ends too if possible.

    Carefully pick up or roll the meatloaf onto each side in turn to shape it into a neat block. Try to end with any joins on the underside.

  5. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, basting two or three times, until cooked all the way through.

    Remove from the oven, take the meatloaf off the tray and wrap it tightly in foil. Rest for 10 minutes minimum.

    Optional: pour the baking juices from the tray into a small saucepan and spoon off any unwanted fat. Add a few tablespoons of chicken stock, bubble briefly to reduce. Add a squeeze of lemon and serve with the hot meatloaf.

  6. Cut the meatloaf into thick slices and serve.

    Can also be cooled after baking and served cold.

    Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days or frozen.

    To serve hot again: reheat in a microwave, covered in a low oven, or fry.