Best Meatloaf Recipe (2024)

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You’ll be hollering “Yasss” after you try this delicious classic, tender, and moist meatloaf. Pinterest loves this meatloaf recipe!

And these mashed potatoes are a must! Make sure to check out my Ultimate Southern Style Ritz Cracker Meatloaf. It’s also DELICIOUS! I can’t decide which one I like better!

This recipe is different than most meatloaf recipes. No 1, there isn’t any milk, A super flavorful beef base is used and no need for a meatloaf pan. And everyone loves the glaze with a kick!

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Read more below to find out what I use to make it juicy and tender! I should also mention that there is no need to buy breadcrumbs. Just use regular white bread.

I struggled to snap a perfect picture of my best meatloaf! Normally I wouldn’t brag about things, but this meatloaf is seriously good.😋

It’s hard to make meatloaf look good but at the end of the day, the flavor is all that matters. Right?

UPDATE! I posted the above photo almost two years ago. Since then, I’ve been working hard on my photography game and I think I’ve managed to take a better photo of my meatloaf. Check it out below! Yay!

This is my absolute favorite comfort food…wait…My other fav is my Salisbury steak.

I’m afraid to say this, but I could probably eat the WHOLE2 lbs!

This tasty meatloaf recipe is so easy to make! My family always fight over the last slice.

Back in the day, you wouldn’t find me fighting over meatloaf because I pretty muchhated it. That same hatred for the loaf motivated me to develop ameatloaf recipe.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD MEATLOAF RECIPE

The key to good flavorful meatloaf is to use 80% fat ground beef. Too lean ground beef just isn’t as flavorful. 80% ground beef has more fat and that equals more flavor.

Instead of soaking the bread in milk, opt for beef or chicken base. Beef or chicken broth works too but the bases has more flavor.

It’s way more flavorful than milk. Most liquids will help meatloaf stay moist so I love to use flavorful beef broth as much as possible.

WHAT CAN I SUB FOR MILK IN MEATLOAF

As I mentioned above, you can sub milk for just about any liquid. Chicken, beef or vegetable broth work great. You can also add water if you like, but of course it won’t add additional flavor.

MEATLOAF SAUCE

Meatloaf sauce is like the icing on the cake. To make the meatloaf sauce, you’ll need ketchup, brown sugar and pepper. I love to make a peppery brown sugar glaze.

I know it may seem like too much pepper per the recipe, but it so flavorful and delicious. The pepper perks up the sauce!

People that have made this meatloaf, suggested adding chili sauce or chipotle seasonings to the sauce.

Also, if you don’t want to use a meatloaf sauce try wrapping it up in bacon. I got that suggestion from a reader too.

WHY DOES MY MEATLOAF FALL APART

There are a couple reasons why a meatloaf falls apart. It could be that you didn’t add enough eggs or vegetables.

Yes, vegetable do help in binding the meatloaf together. Secondly, you may have used a leaner beef. As I said earlier, opt for an 80% fat ground beef.

The higher fat content helps the meat stay moist and moist meatloaf keeps it from falling apart. It’s not impossible to make leaner meatloaf stick together but it’s tricky.

Thirdly, do not add too much liquid. That will definitely make your meatloaf fall apart. Lastly, let your cooked meatloaf rest for about 10-15 minutes before you slice it. Slicing it right away, may make the meat fall apart.

CAN YOU PREPARE MEATLOAF THE NIGHT BEFORE

Absolutely! We all have busy lives. It’s aHUGE time saver when we can prep meals in advance.

First, prepare the meatloaf mixture.Keep the meatloaf mixture in the bowl.

Next, cover it tightly with a lid, saran wrap or foil. Not only is this a big time saver, but chilling in the fridge also makes the meatloaf more flavorful.

When you are ready to bake it, make the meatloaf into a loaf.

Place it on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and bake per the recipe. FYI, chilled meatloaf may take a bit longer to cook through.

CAN YOU FREEZE MEATLOAF

Of course! Wrap each raw meatloaf tightly in saran wrap then foil. Put it into a ziploc bag. Label and date it. Properly storing meatloaf in
the freezer will prevent freezer burn or contamination. Frozen meatloaf wrapped properly will last up to 3 months.
When you are ready to bake it, let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator and proceed with the baking instructions
per the recipe. Yes you can cook the meatloaf frozen, but it will take much longer to cook through.

HOW TO STORE MEATLOAF

Refrigerate cooked meatloaf in airtight containers or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic wrap for 3-4 days.

To freeze cooked meatloaf, wrap room temperature meatloaf tightly in saran wrap then foil. Put it into a ziploc bag.

Label and date it. Next, place in the freezer. Frozen meatloaf wrapped properly will last up to 3 months.

HOW LONG TO COOK MEATLOAF

Most meatloaf recipes take anywhere between 45-60 minutes to cook. This recipe can take up to 60 minutes depending on your stove.

In our old stove, this meatloaf was done in 45 minutes. Our new stove takes longer, about 55-60 minutes to cook through.

HOW TO MAKE MEATLOAF STEP BY STEP

Make the meatloaf

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the entire top and sides of a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.If you only have parchment paper line the baking sheet with it.
Add 4 slices of bread to a food processor and process.Add the bread crumbs to a bowl with the eggs, broth, and seasonings. Soak for 5 mins.Saute the vegetables. Cook until fragrant. Set to the side to cool(photos 1- 4).
Ketchup glaze: Mix the ketchup, brown sugar and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.Add the ground beef and soaked bread mixture to a large bowl. GENTLY combine. Do not over mix(photos 5-7).
Place meatloaf on the baking sheet. Shape into a loaf. Spread the meatloaf sauce over the top.Bake from 45-60 minutes.Brush the remaining meatloaf sauce over the top. Let the meatloaf rest for 10-15 minutes.Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables(photos 8-9).

MEATLOAF RECIPE TIPS:

Meatloaf should be full of flavor, therefore, don’t skimp on seasonings and use a generous amount of sautéed onions.The cooked onions makes this meatloaf super delicious. A lot of meatloaf recipes use milk but I don’t use it.
I only use beef broth. It works. Trust me, the beef broth provides so much flavor. I love to use Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.
Always use fresh bread, not the breadcrumbs from the store. Why so? Well, fresh bread will make moist meatloaf. Use a food processor
to make bread slices into breadcrumbs.
Avoid tough meatloaf using a light touch. Gently combine the ground beef with the egg, bread, and onion mixture.
Do not over-mix.
For an easy cleanup, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Lastly, place an empty baking sheet on the bottom shelf. Fill with water.Place the meatloaf on the shelf right above the pan with water.This will help keep the meatloaf nice and moist.That’s all there is to this meatloaf recipe. Simple is best.
Remember to let the cooked meatloaf rest for 10-15 minutes then slice it.

BEST MEATLOAF!

Do you see all that great flavor? The sweet tangy peppery red ketchup glaze. Yum! The diced cooked onions are looking good too!
This meatloaf is amazing. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it.

I won’t be surprised if your family gobbles it up in minutes. I’m just so excited about the FLAVOR! It’s the best meatloaf I’ve ever tasted. It’s easy to make and so DAMN good!

My sister tried this meatloaf recipe. Her picky husband and daughter both hate meatloaf but LOVED this one! She said it tasted like the ones at them famous restaurants.

Those are the type of things I love to hear. I love cooking and I love helping people create delicious easy food. I hope you can try it! Now how about some simple but so good peach cobbler?

If you LOVE soul food/ southern food join our NEW FB group: Soul Food Love/Southern Recipes.

The Best Meatloaf Recipe

April Boller Wright

Yasss may be the only word you utter after your chomp down and savor the bursting flavors of this delicious classic, tender, and moist meatloaf.

4.98 from 134 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Calories 472 kcal

Ingredients

2 lb ground beef preferably not lean ground beef
4 slices of fresh bread food processed
1/3 cup beef broth I used Better Than Bouillon Beef Base**BE SURE TO READ NOTES BELOW
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 pinch ground thyme *see seasoning notes
2 pinches dry parsley
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves minced
2 cups red onion diced
salt for taste
pepper for taste

Brown Sugar Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup
4 tbsp light brown sugar about 4-5 tablespoons
2 tsp pepper optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover the entire top and sides of a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.See notes.Fill a baking sheet or sheet pan with water and place it on the very bottom shelve in the oven. *See notes.
Add the vegetable oil to a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, enough add the onions and cook until softened about 6-8 minutes. A minute before the onions are done, add the garlic.
Cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Remove the onions and garlic from the skillet and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
To a small bowl add the fresh breadcrumbs, eggs, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Mix gently. Let the breadcrumbs soak for 5 minutes.
To a bowl add the ketchup, pepper and brown sugar. Mix well. Reserve for later.
Use a bowl big enough for the ground beef and breadcrumb mixture. Add the ground beef to the bowl with all the seasonings, salt, and pepper. Add the breadcrumb mixture, onions and garlic and gently mix.
For an easy clean up (optional) place the loaf on the baking sheet lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil or line it with parchment paper. Shape the beef into a loaf. Pour only half of the brown sugar ketchup over the meatloaf.Put the meatloaf on the shelf right above the pan with water.
Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the temperature on your meat thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit *See notes. Cover the meatloaf with the remaining ketchup glaze and serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Sharing is caring, so please share this recipe, so other people can enjoy it!

Video

Notes

Better Than Bouillon beef base: Use 1/3 cup of water plus 1/2 tsp or up to 3/4 tsp of BTB. DO NOT USE 1/4 cup of BTB unless you want a saltY meatloaf!

Seasonings:The video clip of how to make this meatloaf is new. I added additional optional seasonings. In the video, you'll see that I used 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, pinch or up to 1/4 tsp dried parsley, crushed red peppers (add as much or as little as you like). If you don't care for spice eliminate it.

Bread: Use regular store brand white bread. You can break the bread into small pieces or use a food processor. Just make sure the bread is soaked through before you add the bread mixture to the beef.

Tough meatloaf is no good - With a light touch, combine the ground beef with the egg, bread, and onion mixture. Do not over-mix.

Juicy and tender meatloaf - Fill a baking sheet with water. Place it on bottom oven shelf. Place the meatloaf on the shelf right above the pan of water. Fill with water.

Easy cleanup - line the baking sheet with parchment paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil. I used parchment paper for this recipe since I was out of foil, BUT I prefer to use aluminum foil. The baking tray stays a bit cleaner with foil.

Rest - let the cooked meatloaf rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Storage - refrigerate meatloaf in airtight containers or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic wrap for 3-4 days.

How to freeze - to freeze cooked meatloaf, wrap room temperature meatloaf tightly in saran wrap then foil. Put it into a ziploc bag. Label and date it. Next, place in the freezer. It will last up to 3 months.

Freeze raw meatloaf - Wrap each raw meatloaf tightly in saran wrap then foil. Put it into a ziploc bag. Label and date it. Properly storing meatloaf in Frozen meatloaf wrapped properly will last up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake it, let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator and proceed with the baking instructions per the recipe.

TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS

GDealer Super Fast Instant Read Thermometer

Better Than Bouillon Beef Base

Nordicware Aluminum Commercial Bakers Big Sheet Pan

FYI. Be careful when using Better than bouillon because it contains salt. But for this meatloaf recipe, if you use the measurements shown in the recipe card, you will need to add additional salt to the meat mixture.

The meatloaf video below was added to the post on 8/11/2021

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Nutrition

Calories: 472kcal

Keyword #bestmeatloafrecipe, easymeatloaf, meatloaf, meatloaf recipe

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FAQs

What ingredient keeps meatloaf from falling apart? ›

To help your meatloaf stay together add things such as eggs, bread, crushed croutons, oatmeal, crackers, and breadcrumbs, these are all key ingredients that help meat stick together. I hope that this helps to answer your question. What are the secrets to a firm, sliceable meatloaf that slices and won't fall apart?

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What is the basic meatloaf formula? ›

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

What is the best binder for meatloaf? ›

Aim for the consistency of a paste with no extra liquid after you mix it in with your bread. If you don't have any bread, you can substitute it for breadcrumbs, crackers, cereal grains, oatmeal, instant rice, instant barley, or even potato flakes! However, bread is still the best choice of all the potential options.

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Why do you put milk in meatloaf? ›

Milk and other dairy products, like heavy cream and buttermilk, contain both water and fat, adding two types of moisture to our meatloaf. There's a long-held theory that milk can tenderize ground meat, and this is the reason often cited for cooking ground meat in milk to make a Bolognese-style ragù.

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What happens if you put too much egg in meatloaf? ›

For an average meat loaf, use 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh, soft bread crumbs to every pound of meat. When using fine, dry crumbs, use half as much. Other Ingredients: Eggs bind the mixture, add flavor and increase browning, but too much egg will make a meat loaf tough and rubbery.

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Should you drain meatloaf? ›

Cool before slicing: Let the loaf cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. If you baked your meatloaf in a loaf pan, carefully drain off the liquid fat before transferring the meatloaf to a cutting board. Cut into thick slices and serve.

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What can you put under meatloaf to soak up grease? ›

A neat trick to soak up the grease under your meatloaf is to line the bottom of the pan with bread slices. The bread soaks up the grease as the loaf bakes. When the meatloaf is done, you can either throw out the bread or bake it to make some truly indulgent toast.

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What makes meatloaf crumble? ›

A-Meatloaves most often crumble when they contain too many bread crumbs or too few eggs or when they have not cooled partially in the fat-filled loaf pan in which they were baked. We suggest adding no more than 1/3 cup of crumbs for each pound of meat and adding 1 egg for each pound of meat plus an extra egg.

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Is it better to cook meatloaf at 350 or 375? ›

The oven temperature is typically set at 350 degrees F for making meatloaf. That's the temperature you want to be sure to use so the meatloaf cooks and doesn't dry out. Too high, and the outer crust will burn before the interior is cooked all the way, too low and you don't get that delicious crust.

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What is traditional meatloaf made of? ›

No bells and whistles - just a few ingredients including beef, egg, bread crumbs and a simple tomato-based topping. Use a gentle touch with ground beef. Over-mixing will result in burgers, meatballs or meatloaves with a firm texture.

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How long to cook meatloaf Paula Deen? ›

directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.
Topping:
Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

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Is panko better than breadcrumbs for meatloaf? ›

Is one better than the other? Both options are great for meatloaf depending on your preference. Panko usually comes from white bread and doesn't include the crust. It tends to be dryer and flakier in consistency than regular bread crumbs, so they absorb less and produce a lighter-tasting meal.

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What is the best pan to cook meatloaf in? ›

Nonstick pans typically have a coating that prevents food from sticking, making them an excellent choice for cooking meatloaf and other dishes that have a tendency to stick to the pan.

What keeps a meatloaf moist? ›

Use Extra Egg: Eggs act as binders and provide moisture. Add one or two eggs per pound of meat for a moist texture. Make Use of Milk: Soak breadcrumbs in milk before adding them to your mixture. This will keep your meatloaf moist during baking.

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Why is my meatloaf always dry? ›

Mixing your ingredients too much is a very common mistake that can really make for meatloaf with a tough, dry texture. Self-control is the key; once the ingredients are mixed in, stop. Remember, the meatloaf is going to be mixed more as it's shaped before baking. When shaping your loaf, looser is better.

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Why does my meatloaf taste bland? ›

Not seasoning the meat enough.

Follow this tip: Before mixing the meat, season it with salt and pepper. Also, consider adding some of your favorite dried herbs or spices.