The concept of meatloaf kind of makes me raise an eyebrow because, well, it’s a loaf of meat. But when it’s executed well it’s just so good. Meatloaf is so filling, so cozy, and so delicious that I look forward to eating the leftovers over the next few days (hello meatloaf sandwich, I’m looking at you). This Homemade Meatloaf recipe is the traditional meatloaf that we all know and love—tender, juicy, full of flavor, and with the perfectly tangy tomato glaze on top. It’s so perfect when paired with mashed potatoes and green beans. Like a plate of pure comfort!
Ingredients for Meatloaf
This homemade meatloaf recipe is super simple, yet incredibly good. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Ground Beef: Ground beef is the base for this recipe and we suggest using 85/15 (15% fat) ground beef. The fat gives flavor and keeps the meatloaf moist.
- Onion: Onions add a wonderfully subtle savory flavor to the meatloaf.
- Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs soak up moisture from the ground beef, milk, and eggs as the meatloaf bakes, keeping the loaf super tender and moist.
- Milk: Milk adds moisture and flavor to the meatloaf.
- Egg: Egg acts as a binder for the meatloaf so it doesn’t fall apart when sliced, plus it adds flavor, moisture, and richness.
- Seasoning: This meatloaf is seasoned simply with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. It’s just enough seasoning to add flavor without overpowering the natural beef flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce is used in both the meatloaf and the glaze. It offers a deliciously savory umami flavor with just a hint of sweetness.
- Ketchup: Ketchup is the base for the sweet and tangy glaze that goes on top of the meatloaf.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar helps balance the ketchup’s acidity and gives the glaze its beautifully glossy finish.
- Yellow Mustard: Mustard adds depth and savory flavor to the glaze.
The Secret to Good Meatloaf
Milk. The secret to good meatloaf is milk. It sounds weird, but it makes a HUGE difference. Milk hydrates the breadcrumbs that are used as a binder in meatloaf, which keeps the loaf super moist and tender.
During the testing phase for this recipe, I made one without the milk just to see if really made a difference and I’m here to say that the difference was ENORMOUS. The meatloaf without milk was dense, a little tough, and notably drier than the meatloaf made with milk. So don’t skip it! P.S. I’m sure that non-dairy milk would have the same effect.
Loaf Pan or Baking Sheet?
There are two camps when it comes to meatloaf: baking in a loaf pan or on a baking sheet. I’m team baking sheet, but I think ultimately it’s going to boil down to personal preference. I find that loaf pans don’t allow for quite enough evaporation so the bottom can get a little soupy. Baking sheets allow for a little more evaporation, leaving the meatloaf perfectly juicy and flavorful.
But if shaping is difficult for you or you want those perfect square edges, you might prefer a loaf pan.
How to Keep Meatloaf from Falling Apart
There are a couple of tricks to making a meatloaf that holds together in nice slices. Here are a few tips:
- Use a recipe that has the right amount of binders (egg and breadcrumbs). This is essentially the glue that holds the meat together.
- Use ground beef with a finer grind, or that has been double ground. Really coarse ground beef won’t mix as thoroughly with the binders and may crumble when sliced.
- Mince the onion as finely as possible. Large chunks of onion will prevent the loaf from holding together as well.
What to Serve with Meatloaf
My favorite pairing for meatloaf is what I have pictured here, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Green Beans. It’s so simple, classic, and balanced with the meatloaf and its tangy glaze. But here are some other good side dishes for meatloaf:
Classic Meatloaf
Servings 10 slicesIngredients
Meatloaf
- 1 large egg ($0.21)
- 1/3 cup milk ($0.14)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs ($0.32)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup minced onion ($0.14)
- 1.5 lbs. ground beef (85/15) ($8.03)
Glaze
- 1/2 cup ketchup ($0.40)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.06)
- 1 tsp yellow mustard ($0.03)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, milk, and Worcestershire sauce. In a separate small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mince the onion.
- Add the ground beef, egg mixture, breadcrumb mixture, and minced onion to a large bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until evenly combined. Avoid over mixing.
- Place the meatloaf mixture on a rimmed baking dish and shape it into a loaf that is approximately 4-inches wide, 8-inches long, and 2-inches tall.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together the glaze ingredients (ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard). Spread the glaze evenly over the top and sides of the meatloaf.
- Bake the meatloaf for 50-55 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Allow the meatloaf to rest for 5-10 minutes after baking, then slice and serve.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Classic Meatloaf – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Start by pre-mixing some of the ingredients for the meatloaf so there will be less mixing required for the meat (overmixing the meat can make meatloaf tough). In a small bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup milk, one large egg, and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. In a separate bowl, stir together ½ cup breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Mince about a ½ cup onion. Make sure to chop or mince the onion as finely as possible. Chunky onion can make the meatloaf fall apart more easily.
Add the milk mixture, breadcrumb mixture, and minced onion to 1.5 lbs. ground beef (85/15). Mix with your hands until everything is evenly combined. Avoid overmixing.
Place the meatloaf mixture on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish and shape it into a loaf that is approximately 8″ long, 4″ wide, and 2″ tall.
Next, combine the ingredients for the glaze. Stir together ½ cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
Spread the glaze over the top and sides of the meatloaf.
Bake the meatloaf in the preheated 350ºF oven for 50-55 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Let the meatloaf rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Ideas for how to make this dairy and egg free? Is that even an option?
I’d definitely need to do some testing with alternate ingredients before offering a suggestion, since those two ingredients are so important for getting the correct texture.
Fantastic! I mixed the dry ingredients first, then just added the milk/eggs to the same bowl before adding the beef, just because that’s how I usually make meatloaf anyway. The sauce in particular is much better than just plain ketchup and got compliments from my family.
Don’t make the same mistake I did and assume you’ll have leftovers for the next day, because it was all gone pretty quickly :)
This is my favorite meatloaf recipe. It is so good, when I told my husband I was making it for dinner tonight he said “What is it, my birthday?!”
This was the first meatloaf I’ve ever made and it got a 10/10 from my father in law! I also made the garlic herb mashed potatoes and it made the perfect combo. Definitely going down in the books!
I made this today and it turned out great. I added chopped bell pepper with the onion, just because we like it that way. And I always bake meatloaf in a cast iron skillet, so that’s another option in addition to loaf pan or baking sheet.
can you make ahead and freeze this?
I’ve never frozen it before baking, but you could definitely freeze the slices after baking.
This meatloaf is truly GREAT! I will differently make my choice loved it!
I don’t use Worcestershire sauce so I was wondering where can I buy 1 Tbsp at?
I don’t know how you found my mother’s recipe, but you did, and it’s just as wonderful as I remember. For years I have consciously avoided making meatloaf because well, why not just make burgers; they taste better. Not any more!
Thank you! Thank you! Last night’s dinner was juicy and we can hardly wait for today’s Meatloaf Sandwich Lunch. Oh, I see now I made one change to the glaze recipe. I replaced prepared yellow mustard with dry, just cause I always use dry mustard, and the glaze has just a hint of hot. We will have this recipe over and over.
I’m so glad that this lived up to your mother’s recipe and gave you some good memories! :)
This was SUPER tasty! Thanks for another great recipe, Beth!
Can I make the glaze without brown sugar? My husband is a type 1 diabetic
Yes, but it will affect the flavor balance and it won’t be as much like a “glaze” more like ketchup. But plenty of people do use plain ketchup on their meatloaf, so it’s definitely an option. :)
Great recipe and glaze! The only problem I had was that I didn’t have the dimensions of the loaf quite right, instead of 8″ long, 4″ wide, and 2″ tall. I made mine 6″ long, 3″ wide, and 4″ tall. Raised the temp to 400 and put back in for 15 minutes and turned out great. With a side of mashed potatoes it was glorious!
This is now my favorite meatloaf! Hubby loved it too. He just texted me a pic of the empty dish after gobbling up leftovers for lunch (with mashed potatoes and green beans). This was my first time eating leftover meatloaf on a sandwich and YUM! Thank you so much for this recipe.
My husband LOVES meatloaf! Just made meatloaf last night and my recipe (in my head) is similar to this one. This time I used chopped shallots which were a great choice over onion…also have started toasting the bread crumbs and mixing half and half with the toasted bread crumbs before adding them to the meat mixture.. added two eggs, garlic salt, celery salt, worchestershire sauce, and about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. For the first time I used waygu ground beef…wonderful meat loaf. We couldn’t wait the ten minutes of rest time so we “carefully” sliced and plated it. So good! AND with the left overs, meat loaf sandwiches on your favorite bread and some Mayo are the best ever! Can’t wait for lunch!!
Love love love these down to earth recipes.