Polpettone Ripieno (Italian Meatloaf with Ham and Provolone)
An Italian beef and pork loaf made with Grana Padano and no bread at all, rolled around sliced ham and provolone, wrapped in parchment and roasted on a bed of rosemary potatoes.
In Italy the loaf is a polpettone, and English Wikipedia notes it can be filled with eggs, ham and cheese. Its most famous early champion is Pellegrino Artusi, whose "La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene" was self-published in Florence in 1891 after he could not find a publisher. Recipe 315 opens by inviting "Signor polpettone" to step forward and not be shy: a humble loaf made from leftover boiled beef, parmesan, egg and a little bread paste, floured and fried, then finished with an egg and lemon sauce. Recipe 316, from raw veal, has a Piedmont variation with a peeled hard-boiled egg in the center, which Artusi says makes it pretty when sliced (Project Gutenberg, 25th edition:).
Today's favorite is the polpettone ripieno, a stuffed loaf. The Italian recipe site GialloZafferano makes it without any bread: just beef, pork, a lot of grated Grana Padano and one egg, rolled like a jelly roll around ham and provolone and cooked on the potatoes. Next to the American loaf, held together with crumbs and topped with ketchup, it is a meatloaf that thinks it is a roast.
Why it works the kitchen science
Cheese instead of bread
A whole cup and a half of grated hard cheese binds the meat and seasons it, so the loaf holds a tight spiral without crumbs.
Wrapped, then opened
The parchment keeps the juices inside for most of the bake, as GialloZafferano says, and the last 5 minutes under the broiler give it a browned crust.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Mix the beef, pork, cheese, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl with your hands until soft and evenly blended, about 2 minutes.
- Step 2
Turn the mixture out onto a large sheet of parchment. With damp hands, flatten it into a rectangle about 12 by 20 inches. Cover it with the ham, then the provolone, leaving a 1-inch border all around.
- Step 3
Starting from a long side, roll it up tightly, lifting the parchment to help. Pinch the seam and both ends closed so the cheese can't leak.
- Step 4
Rub the roll with 1 tbsp olive oil, lay the thyme sprigs on top and wrap it snugly in the parchment, twisting the ends like a candy wrapper.
- Step 5
Cut the potatoes into 5/8-inch cubes and boil them in salted water 5 minutes; drain. Chop the garlic, rosemary and coarse salt together and toss with the potatoes and 3 tbsp olive oil.
- Step 6
Spread the potatoes on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and set the wrapped roll in the middle. Bake about 50 minutes, until the meat next to the filling reads 160°F.
- Step 7
Open the parchment, turn the oven to broil and broil 5 minutes, until the top is browned. Let the loaf rest 10 minutes, then slice it into rounds and serve with the potatoes.
Polpettone Ripieno (Italian Meatloaf with Ham and Provolone)
Serves 6 · 1 rolled loaf (about 12 slices) plus a pan of potatoes · 1 hr 30 min total
Loaf
- 1 1/3 lb (600 g) ground beef (85% lean)
- 14 oz (400 g) ground pork
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) finely grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Filling
- 5 oz (150 g) thinly sliced cooked ham
- 5 oz (150 g) sliced provolone
Potatoes
- 2 3/4 lb (1.25 kg) potatoes, scrubbed, skin on
- 2 garlic cloves
- Leaves from 4 rosemary sprigs
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
To finish
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 thyme sprigs
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Mix the beef, pork, cheese, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl with your hands until soft and evenly blended, about 2 minutes.
- Turn the mixture out onto a large sheet of parchment. With damp hands, flatten it into a rectangle about 12 by 20 inches. Cover it with the ham, then the provolone, leaving a 1-inch border all around.
- Starting from a long side, roll it up tightly, lifting the parchment to help. Pinch the seam and both ends closed so the cheese can't leak.
- Rub the roll with 1 tbsp olive oil, lay the thyme sprigs on top and wrap it snugly in the parchment, twisting the ends like a candy wrapper.
- Cut the potatoes into 5/8-inch cubes and boil them in salted water 5 minutes; drain. Chop the garlic, rosemary and coarse salt together and toss with the potatoes and 3 tbsp olive oil.
- Spread the potatoes on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and set the wrapped roll in the middle. Bake about 50 minutes, until the meat next to the filling reads 160°F.
- Open the parchment, turn the oven to broil and broil 5 minutes, until the top is browned. Let the loaf rest 10 minutes, then slice it into rounds and serve with the potatoes.
Adapted from GialloZafferano, "Polpettone ripieno" (published June 13, 2017; updated September 14, 2026), as written for 6. GialloZafferano bakes it wrapped in parchment in a 180°C static oven for about 50 minutes, then opens the paper and browns it under a 220°C grill for 5 minutes; we use 350°F and the broiler. Its ingredient list says Grana Padano and its first step says Parmigiano Reggiano; either works. It says olive oil and salt "to taste"; the 4 tbsp of oil and the seasoning amounts are ours, as is the 160°F center check (FoodSafety.gov). ricette.giallozafferano.it. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- GialloZafferano's version is gluten-free as long as the ham and cheese are; check the labels.
- For the Piedmont touch Artusi describes, lay peeled hard-boiled eggs on the ham before you roll it.
- Leftover polpettone is good cold, sliced thin, with a green salad.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Polpettone goes in the oven. Disputed: Artusi fries his our 315 recipe in a pan and braises our 316 recipe on the stove; GialloZafferano bakes its polpettone ripieno.
- A polpettone needs bread in it. Disputed: Artusi's 1891 loaf uses a bread paste, but GialloZafferano's polpettone ripieno has none.
- Polpettone began as a way to use leftovers. Documented for Artusi's our 315 recipe, made from leftover boiled beef; his our 316 recipe uses raw veal.
- A hard-boiled egg goes in the middle. Folklore as a rule: Artusi calls it the Piedmont way; GialloZafferano's version uses ham and cheese instead.
- Use Parmigiano Reggiano, not Grana Padano. Folklore: GialloZafferano names both in the same recipe.
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