You need this meatloaf recipe in your life! Sweet and spicy meatloaf is made with ground beef, Italian sausage, and sauteed vegetables. It’s a hearty comfort food dish that makes great leftovers and freezes well.

This sweet and spicy meatloaf is a meal I have been making for my family for some time now. In fact, my first post on Aileen Cooks shows my kids eating this meatloaf.

Extra Special Meatloaf, thanks to our not-so-secret ingredient

This dish takes meatloaf to another level with the addition of Italian sausage. I’ve played around with the flavor combination a lot and finally settled on ground beef, sweet Italian sausage, and red pepper flakes.

The best way to sneak vegetables into meatloaf

This meatloaf recipe is packed full of veggies, making it a smart choice for kids who aren’t too keen on eating anything green on their plates. Since the carrots, onions, and bell peppers are sauteed before being mixed into the meatloaf, they blend in really well. You can still see them, but the vegetables come out are sweet and tender.

Serve this with: Honey Roasted Carrots & Zesty Potatoes

Yield: 6 people

Sweet and Spicy Meatloaf

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This meatloaf recipe is made with both ground beef and Italian sausage. 

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup ketchup + 1/4 cup for topping
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound sweet italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion, carrots, green onions, bell pepper, and garlic.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.
4. Mix in the 1/3 cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, crushed red pepper, salt, and dried parsley. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, sweet Italian sausage, eggs, breadcrumbs, and cooked vegetables.
6. With clean hands, knead the meat-vegetable mixture until it is fully combined.
7. Pour the mixture into the greased loaf pan and drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup.
8. Bake meatloaf for 1 hour.
9. Remove sweet and spicy meatloaf from the oven and drain fat. Let sit for 10 minutes prior to slicing.

Nutrition Information

Amount Per Serving Calories 380

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