Persian Meatloaf

This Middle Eastern-spiced comfort food recipe proves that meatloaf doesn't have to be boring. In this Persian meatloaf recipe, ground beef or lamb is spiced and mixed with celery leaves and fresh herbs to bring a bit of excitement to an otherwise traditional dinner.

It's no secret that I love Persian food. I'm always on the lookout for ways to include the flavors of the Middle East into meals for my family. And one of the ways that I most enjoy doing this is by changing up the flavors of traditionally non-Persian dishes.

A lot of Persian recipes take hours of cooking, soaking, or simmering, so I also like making more quick-cooking versions of classics, like this sheet pan kebab recipe made under the broiler or this chickpea flatbread version of falafel.

That kebab recipe, traditional American meatloaf, and a meatloaf recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, In a Persian Kitchen have come together over the years to make this delicious meatloaf recipe.

It's one I've been making since I first moved to New York and got my own tiny kitchen in the early 2000's, and it's always a welcome addition to our dinner table.

Jump to:

• 🧡 Why we love this recipe
• 📝 Ingredients
• 🥣 Substitutions
• ✅ How to make this recipe
• 📌 Tips
• 💡 What to serve with Persian meatloaf
• 🍽️ Still hungry? You may also like...
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🧡 Why we love this recipe

• It comes together with minimal effort - it's mostly unattended bake time.
• Meatloaf holds up great for leftovers!
• This recipe is a great way to use celery leaves, which are an ingredient that many people discard or don't know how to use.
• It's great served with rice or stuffed into pita pockets as sandwiches.
• Ground lamb or beef (or a blend of the two!) work really well in this recipe.
• Meatloaf freezes beautifully!

📝 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make this Persian meatloaf (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):

• Ground lamb, beef, or bison
• Rolled oats
• White or yellow onion
• Eggs
• Tomato paste
• Green onions
• Celery leaves
• Parsley
• Lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Ground cinnamon - this gives a warm, spiced background note to the meatloaf
• Ground sumac - optional but delicious sprinkled over top when serving

🥣 Substitutions

I made this recipe with ground beef for years. Then I tried it with ground lamb and we ended up loving it even more. In recent years, I've been cooking more with ground bison, which would also be an excellent choice here.

You could also try a mixture of any of those meats. Since the recipe calls for 1 ½ pounds of meat, it could be a good opportunity to use multiple types of protein.

I haven't personally tried this recipe with vegan ground meat substitute yet, but my inkling is that it would work well. You can feel free to omit the eggs, too, to keep it vegan. If the mixture is too stiff, add a splash of water.

✅ How to make this recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
3. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl - get your hands in there to work everything together well and make sure the ingredients are well incorporated.
4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and flatten it into a rectangular loaf.
5. Bake for an hour, letting cool slightly before slicing and serving.

See recipe card below for full instructions.

📌 Tips

Mixing ground meat with your hands can be a bit messy, but I find it's the best way to get everything well combined. If you think of it, take the meat out of the refrigerator 10 minutes before you plan to mix so it's not so icy cold on your hands.

Make sure you grate the onion over a container to catch all of the juice - you want to include that in your meatloaf mixture!

Many meatloaf recipes call for baking in a loaf pan. My preference is always to do it more "free-form" on a large, rimmed baking sheet. This lets the extra fat and grease move out of the meat mixture instead of staying inside.

For this reason, I also recommend lining the baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. It helps make cleanup a lot easier!

💡 What to serve with Persian meatloaf

Warmed pita bread and basmati rice are delicious alongside any Persian dish. Many Persian restaurants will also serve a little platter with cubes of feta cheese, fresh parsley, and radishes.

If you're looking for recipes to make to go with your meatloaf, here are some of my favorites:

🍽️ Still hungry? You may also like...

Looking for other recipes with Persian flavor? Try these:

Doing some online shopping? Check out my Amazon shop page for recommendations!

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📖 Recipe