After we enjoyed last menu’s Meatloaf Parmesan so much, I decided to attempt another twist on meatloaf. This time my inspiration was a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Like the Meatloaf Parmesan, it was a hit!
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 lb. ground meat
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- Several dashes salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 6 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a skillet, sauté the onion and pepper in the oil until tender. Combine these veggies with the remaining ingredients except the cheese in a bowl. Place half of this mixture into a greased loaf pan and top with 3 of the slices of provolone cheese. Repeat so you have two meat-cheese layers.
Bake for 45 minutes (the internal temperature of the meat should reach 165°F). Allow the meatloaf to sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Yield: 6 servings.
Click here for a printable copy of the recipe and nutrition facts.
Notes
I used ground turkey when making this meatloaf and it turned out very well. It definitely tasted reminiscent of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich! Having two layers of provolone cheese was especially nice. When I make it next time, I will try it with ground beef. I think this will give it an even richer flavor!
Tools I found useful when making this meatloaf include a stainless steel mixing bowl, an Easy Grab Tempered Glass Loaf Dish, and silicone pot holders.
Here is a nutrition label for the recipe. Please note that the nutrition facts are estimated based on the ingredients and preparation instructions described above. They are intended to be used for informational purposes only.
Will your family enjoy this flavorful spin on meatloaf?
Shared on the following link-ups:
Weekend Potluck, Think Tank Thursday, Home and Garden Thursday, Teach Me Tuesday, Titus 2 Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays, The Art of Home-Making and Monday’s Musings.
My brother and my dad are going to go CRAZY for this! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Lexie,
It is yummy! I hope they enjoy it.
What did you serve with it?
Im going to make for dinner tomorrow
Hi Diana,
I’ve served it with lots of different sides. My favorite is probably a side salad, but it is also great alongside roasted veggies. We’ve also had it with seasoned potato wedges.
Yum, Shannon thank you so much for these great ideas. I’ll be sure to let you know how everyone liked it
I love Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and my husband loves meatloaf so I think this could be a real hit in our household. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Brittany,
This will be great for you both! It’s such a great mix of the two.
I bet adding some cheese wiz or Velveeta in between the layers would kick it up more!!
The original cheesesteak was made with Cheeze Wiz, so that would make it even more authentic.
Provolone was the original. Cheese whiz didn’t exist back then.
The City of Philadelphia claims the first Cheesesteak was created in 1930. Cheese Whiz wasn’t marketed until late1952 and early 1953. Cheese Whiz, did however, become a popular cheese for the sandwich by 1954.
This is interesting, Barb. Thanks for sharing these details!
What sides would you recommend to serve with it? Dessert?
Hi Trina,
I’ve served it with a lot of different sides. I’ll often use potatoes as a side (typically seasoned potato wedges or home fries). I’ve been making roasted veggies (carrots, potatoes, asparagus, green beans, zucchini, etc.) a lot recently, and these are great with it! You could also do side salad, vegetable sticks with dip, kettle cooked potato chips, or regular french fries.
Dessert could be just about anything…perhaps you could pop a fruit pie in the oven after you remove the meatloaf and it’ll be done after you’ve eaten dinner?
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing on the Art of Home-Making Mondays! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, JES.
My oh my! That looks mighty fine. I am a lover of meatloaf and this makes it so special. Thanks a million for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck!!
These little changes do make it special! It’s nice that it has extra veggies in it and tastes so good. 🙂
This looks delicious! I will be featuring your post in this week’s Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
How exciting! Thanks for letting me know.
YUMMMM! This lovely recipe got our attention at Weekend Potluck and is being featured at this week’s party. Can’t wait to see what you bring to our virtual table this week. Thanks so much for sharing.
This is delightful news! Thanks for letting me know.
why can’t u put the onions&peppers in raw & let them cook in the meat
Hi Barbara,
You certainly can add them in raw and let them cook as the meatloaf bakes. This works well for the onion, but the pepper comes out pretty crisp tender. My family prefers the pepper be cooked until it is soft, so I precook it. If you don’t mind crisp tender pepper, then go for it! It’ll save you a little time and you’ll have fewer dishes to clean up. 🙂
I did put the onions and peppers in raw, as my family likes the firmer texture. I also drizzled A1 over the meatloaf before adding the cheese. It was a hit!
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing that this worked well for you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
The A1 would be a tasty addition. 🙂
Philly girl here…I made this tonight and they loved it! Definitely a keeper recipe! Thank you!
Hi Christine,
I’m so glad to hear that it was a hit with your loved ones! Thanks for letting me know.
Would this be good with Colby Jack cheese? & I have actual philly cheese steak.. It’s frozen, but do you think it would turn out as good?
Hi Cass,
I think it would be great with Colby Jack! To me, provolone has a pretty mild flavor, so the Colby Jack will probably give it a richer taste. I’d eat it this way! 😉
Let us know how it turns out!
How about a sharp Colby cheese? Love provolone, but have the sharp cheese at home. 🙂 Thank you, it sounds so good!
I think it would be great, Patti. Cheddar, mozzarella…any number of cheeses would go well.
This looks DELICIOUS! I’m going to try it asap. Love simple yet yummy recipes. Thanks 🙂
Hi Sabrina,
I hope you enjoy it!
Can’t wait to try this. Do you think adding banana peppers and mushrooms – everything I order on a cheese steak – would mess up the recipe?
Hi Priscilla,
If you like banana peppers and mushrooms on the sandwich, then I think they would be fine in the meatloaf.
You’re making me think of all sorts of new things I could add!
Do we need to cover it with foil to make it more juicy or just pop it in there without foil?
Hi Prinshell,
I do not cover mine with foil and it turns out fine. I think the veggies and cheese help it stay moist.
However, it would be fine to cover it with foil (especially if you want it to be super moist). I’d just remove the foil towards the end so the top layer of cheese can brown a bit.
Did your top layer of cheese burn? Should I have covered with foil?
Hi Nancy,
I did not use foil and did not have trouble with burning. You can see in the pictures in the post that the top layer of cheese did brown, but it didn’t burn.
If yours burned, then foil would definitely be a good idea.
This was great! I used extra cheese….
Extra cheese is almost always a good thing! Thanks for letting us know, Moe.
My husband literally won’t shut up about how good this was tonight. Delicious, and easy! Thanks for posting.
How wonderful that he enjoyed it, Cayla! Thanks for letting us know.
Just wondering, you don’t need to brown the meat?
No, A.T., you don’t need to brown the meat. Just form the loaf out of the raw ground meat and it will cook as it bakes.
Thanks, that really looks yummy. I need to search your web site for more.
Have made a meatloaf similar with cheerer cheese. Used onions, ketchup, egg, bread crumbs, .
That sounds yummy, Carol. I think cheese really takes meatloaf to a whole new level!
I’m curious, one pound of meat doesn’t seem like a lot. Would doubling this recipe be possible in a loaf pan and if so what would be the cooking time?
Hi Terra,
Yes, you can use 2 lbs of meat. I’d add a second egg to help hold everything together. It will likely reach the top of the loaf pan with this amount, so I’d place a baking sheet beneath it while it bakes just in case some cheese or juices run over. 🙂 Bake for 1 hr at 350°F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temp and make sure it is done. Enjoy!
This is great information. Especially about using a meat thermometer, so
important.
Am I reading the recipe correct?? You COOK the ground beef BEFORE it’s baked????
Thanks for your question, Deb. No, you don’t cook the beef before baking it. You saute the onion and pepper. Once they are tender, you remove them from the skillet and mix them in with the beef, bread crumbs, etc. in a bowl. Then you assemble the meatloaf.
Does that make sense? Please let me know if you have additional questions.
What I do is dice the onion and bell pepper then run thru a small food processor to liquefy then add to the meatloaf mixture. It helps those who don’t like pieces os veges but like the flavor!
Katherine
I love this idea, Katherine! I’d like having the veggie flavor in each bite, plus my kids would be more likely to eat the veggies!
I have a recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes that my husband loves, so I thought I’d try this even though he’s not a huge meatloaf fan. That recipe calls for A=1 rather than Worcestershire sauce, so that is the only change I made. That said, I thought it was just ok, with a bit of odd aftertaste.. I don’t think I would make it again. I much prefer my regular meatloaf recipe, sorry.
Hi Mari,
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it, but I’m glad you already have a meatloaf recipe and the sloppy joe recipe that you can enjoy. Thanks for the feedback!
Do you know the nutrition facts on this? I am counting my carbs, protein fiber and fats
I do not, Lori. I would have to look up the info on each individual ingredient and then calculate the nutrition facts for a single piece of meatloaf. Unfortunately, I just don’t have time to do this. 🙁
What type of bread crumbs? Plain, seasoned or Panko? Also I have 1.71 lbs of ground beef should o double egg and eyeball the rest ? I will probably use 2 pans with one being smaller
Hi Marie,
I’ve used both plain bread crumbs and seasoned bread crumbs. It has worked well with either (I think I prefer the plain, though, in this recipe).
Yes, I would double the egg if using 1.71 lbs of ground beef.
I hope you enjoy it!
This was very good. I don’t like peppers so left them out. Will make again. Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting us know. 🙂
If I were to double this to serve a crowd, what size pan would I use?
Hi Joyce,
The easiest thing to do would be to use two loaf pans and simply make two meatloaves. However, if you don’t have two loaf pans, you can actually double the recipe using only one pan.
Use 2 lbs of meat and a second egg to help hold everything together. Use the same amount of cheese, onion, bell pepper, and breadcrumbs (you don’t want the pan to overflow), but you can add additional salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. The meatloaf will reach the top of the loaf pan with this amount, so be sure to place a baking sheet beneath it while it bakes just in case some cheese or juices run over. Bake for 1 hr at 350°F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temp and make sure it is done.
A lot of folks actually make “free form” meatloaf without a loaf pan. They just shape the meat and fillings into a loaf shape and place it on a broiler pan or baking sheet. This is always an option, as is using a casserole dish (you’d probably need a 2.5 qt casserole dish for each 2 lbs of meat you use).
I hope this helps and that you enjoy it!
Did you good the meat first before mixing it with the other ingredients?
Hi Andrea,
Do I cook the meat first? No, I don’t. I do saute the veggies to make them tender, but I mix them with the raw ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, etc. and then place it in the loaf pan. The meat then cooks as the meatloaf bakes.
This was good but it tasted more like stuffed peppers than Philly Cheesesteak to me.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed it, even if it tasted more like stuffed peppers. I guess it does have some similarities to that dish!
Made this tonight as written. It was delish! Will become a regular in our rotation. Cheers!
I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks for letting me know.
I can’t wait to give this a try!
I hope you get to try it! Most who do end up loving it. 🙂
Can you sub the bread crumbs for almond flour/meal?
Hi Ashley,
I’ve not tried that myself, but I know a few people who use almond flour in place of breadcrumbs in their meatloaf recipes. They say the almond flour versions have a similar texture to those made with breadcrumbs. If they’re being honest, then I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
I’ve been using oats or cooked quinoa instead of breadcrumbs in recent months and I prefer these over the breadcrumbs.
If you try the almond flour, please let us know if it works well.
It was a great with with the almond flour! I haven’t made it the other way but the texture was fine and my husband loves it. Thank you for the recipe.
Fantastic! I love hearing that it can be customized to meet different dietary preferences/needs.
Thanks for letting us know!
This was delicious!!! I tried it with ground turkey and thought it was great!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kristen! Thanks for letting us know.
It’s one of those recipes that I always wonder why I didn’t think of it sooner!
What would be a good side dish with this recipe?
Hi Laci,
I typically serve it with some sort of potato. Seasoned potato wedges or home fries are our favorites. However, I think it would be great with things like a side salad, vegetable sticks with dip, kettle cooked potato chips, regular french fries, or roasted vegetables (e.g., asparagus, carrots, sweet onion).
When making regular meatloaf, I automatically think to make mashed potatoes, but that just doesn’t seem to fit with this! I’d actually love to hear what others serve with it.
What was the ratio of lean/fat content of the ground turkey? Did you add anything to make the turkey loaf moister? Thank you!
I use lean ground turkey (93%/7%). I don’t add anything to make it moister. It’s always seemed to be pretty moist as is…perhaps the moisture in the peppers and onions helps with this.
Let us know how it works out if you add something to make it moister!
Made this Meatloaf last night first time and has friends over. Everyone loved it will definitely make it again.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Debbie. Thanks for letting me know!
I don’t have provolone cheese, but I do have Muenster. Would that work as a substitution?
Yes! That would be great. I love muenster cheese, so I’ll have to try that.
Why do you put a recipe on here and not give the option to print it off
Hi Kathy,
I’m so sorry my blog isn’t as user friendly as it could be. 🙁 However, there are a few ways you can print the recipe.
At the bottom of the post there is a small heading that reads “Enjoy this post? Let others know about it.” One of the buttons under this says “Print.” This button should allow you to print a copy of the post. You can also use your internet browser’s print feature. I’m not sure what browser you use, but I know for certain both Firefox and MS Edge have print features. If all else fails, you can always copy and paste the recipe into a document in MS Word or another word processing program and print it from there.
I’ll keep your feedback about it being difficult to print the recipe in mind as I continue to make improvements to the site! 🙂
Made this tonight and it was INCREDIBLE. the best meatloaf I’ve ever had, and I don’t consider meatloaf to be a favorite meal but I will be making this again. Even better, my husband loved it too! Thanks for sharing
Hi Brandi,
Fantastic! I smiled at your comment because I love the feeling I get when a dish is delicious and loved by the whole family. I’m glad you have another meal to add to your favorites!
Hi there!
Do you happen to know a good binding agent I can use instead of breadcrumbs? I’m on a Paleo diet, but I don’t want to just mix in flax seeds or whatever when there’s a call for carb-based binders.
Any ideas?
Yes, Helen, I think I can help. Some readers have used almond flour instead of breadcrumbs and have had great success with it. I know of another who liked it when using cooked quinoa in place of the breadcrumbs (I’m not sure if this fits within your diet).
If you’ve used flax seeds in meatloaves before and they worked, then I imagine they would here, too.
Hope that helps!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times, absolutely love this recipe!
I’m so glad, Teasha! Thanks for letting me know.
Does anyone have any of the numbers on this dish? Calories, Carbs, Protien.
Hi Tina,
I’ve not seen anyone share that data. I need to add calculating the numbers to my to-do list. I think many people would like to know! If I get around to calculating them, I’ll share them here and send you an email to let you know.
What are the nutritional facts?
I’m sorry, Devan, I have not had an opportunity to calculate these.
Any thoughts on adjusting the cook time for mini meatloaves made in a muffin pan?
Fun idea, Nicole! I would try 25 minutes to begin with, then adjust as needed. Keep a meat thermometer handy, because this will tell you when they are cooked all the way through.
I had weightloss surgery, so I can’t have the bread. What would be a good carb free alternative? I just can’t think of anything…
Some of my readers have had success using almond flour or flax seeds. Perhaps one of these will work for you?