Polpettone with Hard Boiled Eggs is my mom’s delicious Italian style meatloaf filled with hard boiled eggs for a beautiful presentation. The perfect family dinner any time of year!
Who can resist a delicious meatloaf? It’s so moist, satisfying and comforting and served alongside roasted potatoes it’s the perfect family dinner!
My mother picked up this recipe for Polpettone with Hard Boiled Eggs (Italian Meatloaf) during a visit to her cousin in New York back when I was a child. She reminded me how much I enjoyed it during our stay with her and was inspired to make her own version.
You can tell that I like my meatloaf with some kind of stuffing just like in this Spinach and Mushroom Filled Pinwheel Meatloaf recipe that I previously shared with you.
This polpettone (which means meatloaf in Italian) is not your basic meatloaf. It has hard boiled eggs in the center and looks so pretty when you slice into it! But how is polpettone unlike your typical meatloaf? Let me explain!
Polpettone with Hard Boiled Eggs is not your ordinary meatloaf!
There’s nothing worse than a dry, hard meatloaf that consists only or mostly of ground meat! The meat mixture for this meatloaf is based after my mother’s meatball recipe which are soft and moist. That is due to a few key ingredients:
- Combination of equal amounts of ground veal, pork and beef. The trio of ground meats as we call it is used for extra flavor. Most grocery stores carry prepackaged ground meat trios in approximate 500 gram (just over 1 pound) portions.
- The crumb from day old bread which is torn into small pieces and softened in milk. This adds lots of moisture and results in a meatloaf (or meatballs) that are not hard and dense.
- My mother always uses a combination of Parmigiano and Pecorino Romano grated cheeses. That’s another trick of my hers, however you can stick to either one or the other if you prefer.
- Freshly chopped parsley and a finely minced clove of garlic add extra flavor to the filling.
- Eggs are added to help bind the ingredients as well as add more moisture.
Adding whole hard boiled eggs and grated cheese (such as mozzarella, Caciocavallo or oven provolone) in the center of the polpettone is definitely an Italian thing. You can skip this step if you prefer, but this recipe just wouldn’t be the same without them!
Finally, I topped the polpettone with a few overlapped slices of pancetta (cured pork belly which unlike bacon is not smoked) to give that beautiful finish! If you can’t find pancetta in your local grocery store, bacon will do.
How to make Polpettone with Hard Boiled Eggs:
In a small sauce pan bring 4 eggs and a generous amount of salt to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool before peeling.
Prepare the meat mixture: In a large mixing bowl combine the ground meat, breadcrumbs (that have been soaked in milk); grated Parmigiano/Pecorino Romano cheeses; eggs; chopped parsley; garlic and salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix until all ingredients are well combined.
On a large sheet of parchment paper flatten the meat mixture into an approximate 12 x 10 inch rectangle (1). Cover with grated mozzarella or Caciocavallo cheese and place the hard boiled eggs about 1/3 of the way up from the long edge facing you (2).
Holding the parchment paper begin rolling the meatloaf as tightly as possible (3). End with the seam side down(4).
Transfer to a rectangular or oval casserole dish, seem side down. Top with overlapping slices of pancetta. Add cubed potatoes tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper on the sides of the meatloaf.
Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 1 hour. Let the meatloaf sit 10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.
Tips and suggestions:
- The pancetta can be replaced with 3 or 4 strips of bacon.
- Add a layer of sautéed spinach with garlic over the meat mixture before adding the grated mozzarella or Caciocavallo.
- Be sure to evenly coat the cubed potatoes in olive oil to ensure they cook thoroughly.
- Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
All you need is a green salad to complete this delicious meatloaf dinner! Let me know how much you enjoy this recipe by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin the recipe for later. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
For the meat mixture
- 1 kg ground meat trio (veal, beef and pork) just over 2 pounds
- 1 1/2 cups crumb from day old bread torn into small pieces
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese (or combined Parmigiano and Pecorino Romano cheeses)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small garlic clove finely minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the filling
- 4 large hard boiled eggs
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella or Caciocavallo cheese grated or sliced thinly
For the topping:
- 6 slices pancetta (about 60 grams)
For the potatoes
- 500 grams potatoes, peeled and cubed (just over 1 pound)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan bring 4 eggs and a generous amount of salt to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool before peeling.
Prepare the meat mixture
- Place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl, add milk and toss to soak all of the bread. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the ground meat, the breadcrumbs soaked in milk; grated Parmigiano/Pecorino Romano cheeses; chopped parsley; eggs; garlic and salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix until all ingredients are well combined.
To assemble
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- On a large sheet of parchment paper flatten the meat mixture into an approximate 12 x 10 inch rectangle. Cover with grated mozzarella or Caciocavallo cheese and place the hard boiled eggs about 1/3 of the way up from the long edge facing you.
- Holding the parchment paper begin rolling the meatloaf as tightly as possible. End with the seam side down.
- Transfer to a rectangular or oval casserole dish, seem side down. Top with overlapping slices of pancetta.
- Toss cubed potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on each side of the meatloaf.
- Bake for one hour and let rest for ten minutes before slicing. Serve hot.
Notes
- The pancetta can be replaced with 3 or 4 strips of bacon.
- Add a layer of sautéed spinach with garlic over the meat mixture before adding the grated mozzarella or Caciocavallo.
- Be sure to evenly coat the cubed potatoes in olive oil to ensure they cook thoroughly.
- Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.
Hi there! I happened upon your site and recipes as I sat in my sick son’s rocking chair at 2 in the morning, and was immediately transported to my childhood as I scrolled through.
My great grandmother was Sicilian and could barely speak English. (She passed when I was ~8 I believe.) She made the BEST meatballs (& sauce) and she put hard boiled eggs in some of them. I cannot WAIT to try your recipe for this to see if it is similar to my long-ago-childhood tastebud memories :-). Thank you so very much for sharing these beautiful traditions and recipes. ❤️
Hello Melanie, first of all I send you my best wishes for your son’s speedy recovery. I’m glad to hear that you stumbled upon my website. Food definitely has a way of triggering strong childhood memories, I agree! I do hope that this recipe lives up to your expectations, please do let me know if you give it a try. All the best and thank you for your kind words!
Really delicious and easy to make. I did sauté spinach and garlic for an additional layer. I had speck in my freezer and used that on top. So good. My husband loved it. Thank you.
Hello Glenna, so glad you enjoyed it and love the idea of adding the spinach. Must have been so good. Thanks for sharing!
My father who was from Bari, made this often in his Sunday sauce. He place a single layer Black Forest ham and hard boiled eggs and parsley in his. Great memories. My husband loved all of my dad’s cooking and nags until I make this for him.
Hi Anne, there are definitely lots of variations to this recipe. My mom also makes a version with prosciutto and it is delicious! I can understand why your husband wants you to prepare it for him, there’s nothing more comforting than meatloaf for dinner. Thanks for sharing!
Hi – can leftovers be frozen after cooking? Thanks
Hello Abi, yes leftover meatloaf can be frozen. Cool it completely, wrap well in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to prevent freezer burn. Up to 3 months is fine. Hope you enjoy it!
I made this today and we loved it! My husband;s mother always placed boiled eggs in her meatloaf so he really enjoyed this as it brought back memories to him. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Pat so glad to hear you enjoyed it! It is definitely a Sicilian tradition to add hard boiled eggs to meatloaf, and other dishes as well. I like the extra flavor and texture it adds to the meatloaf. Thanks for your feedback!
Sounds delicious! Reminds me a bit of my grandmother’s meatloaf, although she would use mozzarella but no egg for the filling. Going to try this way next time i make a polpettone, which may be today in fact…
Hello Frank, my mom has added hard boiled eggs to her meatloaf ever since I can remember. Hope you enjoy it!
The only difference in how mama made it and I now make it is that we add some very thin slices of salami to the filling. She (and now I) often add the polpertone to our “Sunday Gravy” in place of meatballs. (I know using the term Sunday Gravy is unique to New York City where I was born and raised, that most everywhere else it is referred to as sauce. It will always be Sunday Gravy to me.)
Hi Anna, I had actually thought about adding a layer of prosciutto as well. I’m sure it would be delicious! My mother sometimes adds a layer of spinach. She also makes a similar version in tomato sauce which we then enjoy with our pasta. I’ll have to get to that recipe soon as well. Thanks for your comment!