Comforting Homemade Meatloaf
A simple, classic meatloaf recipe is a go-to dinner for so many busy families. Meatloaf is not only super easy to make — it’s also amazingly adaptable! In this post I’ll share some tips for adapting your meatloaf recipe to whatever you have on hand.
Busy Times Call for No-Fuss Dinners — Like Meatloaf
The past two weeks have been incredibly busy around our house. With so much on our plates at the Harris household, simple, comforting dinners like this meatloaf recipe are on our actual plates pretty often lately.
This homemade meatloaf recipe has been my saving grace many times over the years. It’s easy to make, you can freeze it for future meals, and just about any sides will work with it. I serve it with a couple or more of these:
- mustard-apple coleslaw
- garlic mashed potatoes
- my Granny Gray’s creamed corn
- yeast rolls or jalapeño cornbread
- a big Italian salad
- cheesy squash casserole
- glazed baby carrots
Really, the possibilities for sides are endless. And if you have leftovers, you can make meatloaf sandwiches the next day!
Improvising on a Meatloaf Recipe
Upon making the sauce for the top of the meatloaf, I realized I didn’t have any brown sugar, so I got to thinking about all the substitutions I could use. Why not molasses, honey, or Karo syrup? For that matter, you can make it without any sweetener at all. It will still have amazing flavor.
In the comments on my Facebook post, one reader said she adds whole dates as well as mixing some ground pork with the beef. If you’re watching your cholesterol, you use lean ground beef or ground turkey.
Many people add egg to a traditional meatloaf. In this recipe, I use milk. Need to keep it low sodium? You can skip the salt. To add fiber and vitamin c, you can chop up some green bell pepper.
Instead of breadcrumbs, many people use crumbled saltine crackers. Or if you’re restricting carbohydrates on a keto diet, you could use a low-carb, high-protein filler like almond meal or pork rinds.
Watch the video to see a simple parchment-paper tip for perfectly shaped meatloaf. I personally prefer parchment paper to aluminum foil.
Extra Tips for Tasty Meatloaf
If you use parchment paper, I advise you to remove the meatloaf by lifting the parchment paper and meatloaf together from the loaf pan to a cooling rack over sheet pan with rims. You’ll need the rims for any pan juices that may be at the bottom of the parchment paper.
Allow the cooked meatloaf to rest for at least 10 minutes for the breadcrumbs to reabsorb the juices, making beautiful slices.
For more crust on the outside of the meatloaf, you can just shape the loaf and bake it without using a loaf pan. I recommend baking it on a cooling rack set over a sheet pan with a rim to catch the juices.
Stacy Lyn’s Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
Meat Mixture
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon salt
Meatloaf Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar molasses or dark Karo
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch salt
- Pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add all sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and mix until well incorporated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add chopped onion, minced garlic, Italian seasonings, salt, bread crumbs, ketchup, and milk to 2 pounds of ground beef. Mix well.
- Put mixture into loaf pan and bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from the oven and add the meatloaf sauce. Place back into the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat registers at 160 degrees.
- Remove from oven and allow meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and eating.
Love this delicious recipe!
Thanks so much!! I’m making it again this weekend.