Name: The Only Meatloaf That Matters
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 5 garlic cloves; 3 big handfuls of arugula; 1 small bunch of basil; 2 lemons; 4 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano (in wedge form); 3 ounces fresh whole-milk Mozzarella cheese (not shredded); 2 large eggs; 2 pounds spicy Italian sausage; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 6 ounces French bread or ciabatta (about one 6-inch piece); 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Meatloaf on a an orange plate with a salad.

Photo by PEDEN + MUNK

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.

What you’ll need

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
$18 $17 At Amazon
9x5 Loaf Pan
$22 $9 At Amazon
Aluminum Foil
$5 At Amazon

Recipe notes

See 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.

Sofrito Bolognese

An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Spaghetti With Cabbage, Pancetta, and Calabrian Chile

Cabbage is the unsung hero of the winter kitchen—available anywhere, long-lasting in the fridge, and super-affordable. It’s also an excellent partner for pasta.