This Stove Top Stuffing Meatloaf with zucchini and pasta sauce is so easy and flavorful. You’ll love it for a hearty dinner!
Meatloaf, meatloaf, meatloaf. It’s one of those dinners I used to eat all the time as a kid. In fact, I ate it so much as a kid, that I swore I would never make it as an adult. Well… I guess I lied to myself. I do in fact make meatloaf, and I really like it.
When I was younger I used to watch my mom throw all these ingredients into a big bowl, mix in the ground beef, then slap it on the pan. Bake for an hour, and that was it. We always had to add ketchup on the side because it would taste just blah.
When I first played around with this meatloaf recipe, I’m not gonna lie, it was yucky. It was just another big slab of ground beef. Who wants to eat that? Not me. Then I went to Google and read all sorts of other recipes and got inspired. I knew I needed to add some oomph to this recipe.
That’s where the stove top stuffing, zucchini, and sauce come in. I swear you guys, just adding a little spaghetti sauce, zucchini and of course cheese, takes this meatloaf to a whole to level. This is by far my favorite meatloaf recipe, plus it’s super easy to whip up on a busy night. Now, it does take about 35-45 minutes to cook, but the prep time is literally no more than 5-10 minutes.
Throw the pan in the oven, grab that glass of wine, and watch something on TV for 30 minutes. It’s foolproof, and I promise you guys will love it. I’ve made this recipe with ground turkey or ground beef. Either way it turns out delicious! When my husband and I are on a healthy kick, we do turkey, but I gotta say that I love the flavor the beef gives this dish too. Whichever way is fine as long as you make it.
Stove Top Stuffing Meatloaf
This Italian Meatloaf recipe is made with Stove Top stuffing mix, pasta sauce, and zucchini. It is a dinner recipe to remember for sure!
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 package Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
- 24 ounces jarred spaghetti sauce divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves divided
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups zucchini chopped
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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In a large bowl, add stuffing mix with half of the spaghetti sauce, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, parsley, and pepper; mix well. Add meat and mix to incorporate all ingredients. (I usually use my hand to make sure everything is incorporated).
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Place meat in a 9 x 13″ baking dish.
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Add zucchini, remaining spaghetti sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano to a bowl and mix to combine. Spoon over meat mixture and cover with foil.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and top with cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes uncovered. Meatloaf should be 160 degrees F with cheese bubbly and melted.
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Serve immediately and enjoy!
Here are two more Italian dinner recipes you might like to try!
Betty Menetrey says
My husband hates zucchini. Does this taste as good with a different veggie, is it good with spinach?
Rebecca says
This sounds so yummy, trying it tonight! Do you use the flavor packet from stuffing mix?
Jesse Polvino says
Is this freshnor dried parsley, guessing fresh?
Cyndi says
Hi! It’s fresh parsley. :-) Hope you enjoy the recipe.