Meatloaf isn’t just a dish—it’s a whole experience! Imagine juicy ground meats mixed with fresh veggies, herbs, and spices, all packed into a hearty loaf and baked until golden and irresistible. Top it off with a mouthwatering sweet and savory glaze, and you've got a masterpiece. Ready to master this easy, no-angst Classic Meatloaf? Let’s dive in!
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What Makes a Good Meatloaf?
These are the common elements that should be found in all tasty meatloaves:
- A good meatloaf is flavorful, moist, and well-balanced. This is achieved by using a mixture of ground meats, such as beef, pork, and veal for richness and depth.
- Binders, such as breadcrumbs help bind the loaf, while eggs provide moisture in addition to binding.
- Seasonings like onions and garlic are crucial, combine with Herbs and Spices to enhance the flavor.
- A balance of textures is important: the meat should be tender but firm enough to slice.
- Finally, a glaze that caramelizes beautifully, adds a tangy-sweet contrast to the savory meat.
Here’s What You Need
A complete list of ingredients with quantities can be found on the printable recipe card at the end of this article.
Ingredient Notes
- Meats: This recipe was developed using a blend of ground beef, pork, and veal. Refer to the Hints and Tips (FAQ) Section below for more on the benefits of using this blend.
- Breadcrumbs: I used seasoned breadcrumbs for this recipe. You can substitute plain breadcrumbs or bread soaked in milk if you prefer.
- Herbs and Spices: A combination of dry oregano, basil, and thyme adds a savory Creole-Italian element to the recipe. You can use whatever herbs you like, or leave them out altogether.
- Sauce Ingredients:
- Chili Sauce: I use Heinz Chili Sauce as the base of the sauce. This is similar to ketchup, but not quite as sweet and is made with tomato puree, garlic powder, and aromatic spices. You can substitute ketchup or tomato sauce (which is less flavorful in my opinion).
- Vinegar: I developed this using Cane Vinegar, a slightly sweet vinegar made from sugar cane. You can substitute a 5% acidity vinegar like apple cider or white vinegar.
- Light Brown Sugar: I like light brown sugar in the sauce. You can substitute dark brown sugar, which is slightly more acidic, but may not be noticeable in this quantity.
- Tomato Paste: This is used to give the sauce slightly more body.
- Optional Ingredients: For a little more zing, try adding some Worcestershire Sauce, Cayenne Pepper, or Creole Seasoning.
Lagniappe Tip: A 12-ounce jar of Heinz Chili Sauce is 1 Cup. Use the vinegar to "wash out" the jar so that you get every bit out.
Cookware
You don't need any special equipment to make this Classic Meatloaf recipe. I use a small food processor or a box grater to process the onions and garlic. I also find that a large glass bowl, a 9" X 5" loaf pan, and a baking pan or 13" dark oval roasting pan are handy when making this recipe. To prepare your ingredients, use your usual prep equipment. Checking the internal temperature is easy with this ThermoPop2 by ThermoWorks.
Hints and Tips (FAQ)
Yes, this recipe can be made up to the point of baking. Place the unbaked meatloaves in an airtight container and hold them in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. Bake them according to the instructions. Since this recipe makes two 9" loaves, you can enjoy one and freeze one for later. Check out the Tips for Leftover section at the end of this article for instructions on freezing the meatloaves.
The best meatloaf is moist, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. It should be dense without feeling heavy, holding its shape while melting in your mouth. This is achieved by combining different meats, each contributing unique qualities. Ground chuck provides a rich beef flavor with its 20% fat content, while ground pork adds great texture and soft fat. Veal, known for its mild taste, brings high collagen, helping the meats blend smoothly.
This is a pretty substantial chunk of meat goodness, so to cook it through without drying it out, we'll go in phases:
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Phase 1 is high heat (425 degrees), uncovered to brown the outside.
Phase 2 is lower heat (325 degrees), covered in aluminum foil to slowly cook the inside while retaining its moisture.Â
Phase 3 adds the sauce and bakes at higher heat (425 degrees), uncovered to put a glaze on it.
Some recipes call for cooking vegetables like onions and carrots beforehand to soften them. I keep it simple by using just onions and garlic. Running them through a food processor purees them, releasing moisture from the onions. Because they're so finely processed, they cook more easily. I believe this approach adds moisture throughout but allows the flavors of the meat to take center stage.
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Here’s What You Do
First...you have a beer. Prepare the cook and prepare the ingredients. The mise en place is pretty basic and starts by sipping a beer and reading the recipe from start to finish. Familiarize yourself with what you need and what you will do with each ingredient. The objective is to blend three different types of ground meat into a product that is greater than the sum of its parts, then add seasonings and binders that create a homogenous, moist loaf of meaty goodness. So let’s go.
Mise En Place
Preparing all the ingredients before starting to cook assures an angst-free cooking experience, minimizes mistakes, and makes sure you don't forget anything. It's a lot more fun when most of the work is done. Here are my suggestions for preparing the ingredients.
- Peel the onions and garlic. Chop the onions into quarters. Measure the Herbs and Spice Blend and the breadcrumbs. Crack the eggs into a small prep bowl. Have a little water handy.
- Measure the sauce ingredients into prep bowls.
- Place the meats in a large glass bowl (a bowl you can mix everything in) about an hour before mixing everything. It will be easier to blend the meat completely if it is not very cold.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Have a 9" X 5" loaf pan and prepare a baking pan with sides by spraying nonstick spray all over the inside.
Combine the Ingredients and Form the Loaves
What happens in this step? Here we combine all the ingredients evenly to make a homogenous blend with ingredients evenly distributed throughout the meatloaf.
- Use your hands to gently mix the meat completely. Pulse the onions and garlic in a mini food processor until they resemble a puree with onion juice. A grater also works well to prepare the onions and garlic.
- Add the eggs, Herbs and Spices, and the garlic and onion puree to the bowl with the meat. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Add a little water (about 2 or 3 tablespoons) and the breadcrumbs. Continue to mix until you have a cohesive, sticky mixture.
Lagniappe Tip: Don't skip adding a couple of tablespoons of water to the mix. The meatloaf will bake for about an hour and a half, so we want to start with as much moisture as possible.
- Roll the well-blended meatloaf mix onto a cutting board and roughly form a large log. Separate the log approximately in the middle so you have two.
- Line a loaf pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Place one of the half-logs into the pan. Press down gently, but firmly, removing all the air voids and the top is relatively flat.
Lagniappe Tip: We’re working with about 3 ½ pounds of meatloaf. I usually divide this into two loaves, but you can make one large loaf or three to four smaller ones. Keep in mind that different sizes may cook at different rates, so it's important to monitor the internal temperature as they cook. Aim for an internal temperature of 160°F.
Bake the Meatloaf
What happens in this step? The meatloaf will be baked in three stages: 30 minutes at high heat to brown, 45 minutes at lower temperature to cook the insides, and 15 minutes on high to glaze.
- Turn the loaf pan over onto the prepared baking pan and remove the meatloaf. Finish forming the meatloaf with your hands. Repeat that process with the remaining meat mixture.
- Place the baking pan into the preheated 425 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes, uncovered. After 30 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, remove it from the oven and decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place back in the oven for 45 minutes.
Make the Sauce
What happens in this step? Here we are mixing the sauce ingredients while the meatloaf bakes.
- For the sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a whisk. Set the sauce aside until ready to use.
Add the Sauce and Finish Baking
What happens in this step? Once the meatloaf has baked for an hour, we add the glaze and place it back in the oven to finish.
- After 45 minutes, remove the baking pan from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Discard any excess grease from the baking pan using a turkey baster or a spoon.
- Pour the sauce on top of the meatloaves and spread evenly with a brush or a spatula. Use as much or as little glaze as you would like, saving any extra to add later.
Lagniappe Tip: I suggest using only a small amount of sauce at this stage and saving the rest for serving. The sauce tends to glaze better in thin layers. That said, I sometimes ignore my own advice and pour it all on at once! Any leftover sauce can be simmered on the stove and added when serving. It's also great on mashed potatoes or mac and cheese!
- Return the baking pan to the 425-degree oven, uncovered. Bake for 15 minutes until the sauce begins to glaze. Take the meatloaf out of the oven and rest it for about 10 minutes before serving.
Lagniappe Tip: Avoid overcooking the meatloaves by using an instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature should reach around 150 to 155°F before you begin the final 15 minutes of glazing. This ensures the meatloaf will be close to the target temperature of 160°F by the end of cooking.
Serving Suggestions
Meatloaf is a classic comfort food and my favorite way to serve it is simply sliced, topped with some of this delicious sauce served beside garlic mashed potatoes and peas.
Here are some other great recipes to serve with this Cassic Meatloaf:
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Tips for Leftovers
Leftover meatloaf should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking. It will maintain its quality for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Let the meatloaf cool to room temperature, then place it in an airtight container for refrigerating or freezing.
Thaw frozen meatloaf completely before reheating. You can reheat unsliced meatloaf in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes or until completely warmed. Slices can be reheated in the microwave or a skillet.
My absolute favorite way to enjoy leftover Meatloaf is a sandwich. Meatloaf sandwiches, to me, rank up there with turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving. Those alone almost make it worth cooking meatloaf.
We are mixed in my house: my wife enjoys her leftover meatloaf sandwich on bread with mayo and warm meatloaf with sauce. I like mine on toasted bread, with cold meatloaf and sauce. I think it's the mayo that seals it.
You can make your Sammy the way you like it: A slider, a poboy, dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayo, and even put some cheese on it.
Other ideas are to break up the meatloaf into stuffed peppers, tacos, soup, or chili. What are your favorite uses for leftover meatloaf? Let us know in the comment section below.
Lagniappe Tip: To freeze unbaked meatloaf, first place it on a lined baking sheet and put it in the freezer. Once the meatloaf is frozen solid, transfer it to an airtight container or vacuum-sealed bag. When properly sealed, the meatloaf will maintain its quality in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Be sure to fully defrost it before baking according to the instructions.
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Yeah You Right!
Publishers Note: This article and recipe was originally published in May 2018. I am republishing it now with improved step-by-step instructions and photos, updated FAQs, and a better search structure.
Recipe
Classic Meatloaf
Here's What You Need
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground veal
- 2 medium Yellow Onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 whole eggs
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Herb and Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Basil
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Sauce/Glaze
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup chili sauce
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon cane vinegar
- To Taste Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
Here's What You Do
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set the meats out to reach room temperature,
- Process the onion and garlic in a food processor (or grater) until they are very fine-set aside and make sure to save all the liquid with them.
- Crumble each meat by hand into a large glass bowl. Gently combine the meats to integrate completely.
- Add the onions, garlic, eggs, about â…” of the breadcrumbs, the herbs and spices and water to the meats and continue to mix together by hand until thoroughly combined.
- Add the remaining breadcrumbs to tighten the meat mixture until it is sticky and dense. Add more water if needed.
- Spray a roasting pan with non stick spray and set meatloaf on it.
- Press about half of the meat mixture into a lined loaf pan used as a mold. Roll the formed meatloaf onto a prepared baking pan and finish forming by hand. Repeat for the second loaf.
- Place the baking pan with the meatloaves in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove it from the oven. Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees.
- Cover with aluminum foil and return to the 325-degree oven for 45 minutes.
- Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside. This sauce will benefit from sitting for a while.
- After 45 minutes, take the meatloaf out of the oven and uncover. Discard any excess grease in the baking pan. Increase the oven temp to 425 degrees.
- Brush some sauce over the meatloaf and return to the 425-degree oven, uncovered. (Save any remaining sauce to serve with the meatloaf. Simmer the sauce in a sauce pan if desired.)
- Roast for another 15 minutes, the sauce should be bubbly and starting to glaze. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Notes
Phase 2 is lower heat (325 degrees), covered in aluminum foil to slowly cook the inside while retaining its moisture. (45 min)
Phase 3 adds the sauce and bakes at higher heat (425 degrees), uncovered to put a glaze on it. (15 min)
Nutrition Estimate
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