A comforting dinnertime meal, this Easy Meatloaf is hearty, tasty, and super easy to throw together. With tasty ingredients, this dish will have you coming back for more.
Meatloaf has always been one of those recipes that I have loved since I was a kid. It is comforting and homey and is just overall tasty.
This Easy Meatloaf is our go-to recipe, with easy and flavorful ingredients, this comes together in no time – which is exactly what my family needs.
This is also versatile, so you can switch up and add some ingredients into the recipe that you like, this is our favorite basic Easy Meatloaf, but you can make it your own.
Serve this with some of your favorite vegetable sides, and you will have yourself one hearty and tasty meal that you will be keeping on your menu rotation.
If you are a meatloaf lover but want to try something new that I know you’ll keep around, you have to make my Easy Meatloaf Recipe.
Some of my other favorite comforting main dishes we have on our site include: Grandma’s Fried Chicken, Minestrone Soup and Ritz Cracker Chicken.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- This is large enough to serve a whole family.
- Goes great with various side dishes.
- You can switch it up to your liking.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Panko breadcrumbs
Ketchup
Eggs
Light brown sugar
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Kosher salt
Pepper
Lean ground beef
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish, optional
HOW TO MAKE EASY MEATLOAF:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of ketchup, eggs, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Add the ground beef and mix until combined, I like to do this by hand, trying not to overmix.
- Place the mixture on a sheet tray and form it into a loaf. You can also use a 9×5 loaf pan to form a loaf. Press the meat mixture into the loaf pan and press down so it is even. Invert the loaf pan onto the sheet tray and remove the pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. While the meatloaf is baking, make the glaze. Place the remaining ¼ cup ketchup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Take out the meatloaf after the initial 30 minutes and brush on the glaze, use all of it.
- Bake an additional 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let cool on the counter for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with optional parsley.
CAN I ADD VEGETABLES TO THIS?
I prefer my meatloaf without added veggies. If you prefer to add veggies, you can sautee 1 cup of diced onion, 1 cup of diced green bell pepper, with 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add this mixture directly to the meatloaf mix before adding the beef. You may want to let it cool slightly before adding.
WHAT KIND OF BEEF IS THE BEST?
We like to use a leaner ground beef of 80/20 or higher, this helps hold the meatloaf together and produce less grease and fat after baking.
There still will be some grease on your baking tray, you can drain this off before removing it to a serving platter if you are doing that.
You can also use a mixture of ground beef and pork. Or if you want to change your meat entirely, you can use ground chicken or turkey.
DO I HAVE TO GLAZE MY MEATLOAF?
If you don’t want the glaze, you can use just ketchup or even your favorite bbq sauce. Or, leave the glaze off entirely and serve with beef gravy of your choice.
HOW TO STORE:
This can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container where it will keep for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze this meatloaf, place it in a freezer container, and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove from the freezer into the refrigerator until thawed. To reheat, you can either do this in the microwave or oven. If you are doing it in the oven, I suggest covering it with foil and adding a splash of water, or slices may dry out.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can add vegetables to this if you’d like, see above on how we like to do this.
- This does not have to be glazed, see other options above.
- Use a lean ground beef.
- You can switch the meat up to half beef and pork, or you can use chicken or turkey as well.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Looking for that perfectly easy and comforting meal that will fill you up and keep you satisfied? You have to try my Easy Meatloaf.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this EASY MEATLOAF let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Easy Meatloaf
Ingredients
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup ketchup divided
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar packed, divided
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of ketchup, eggs, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Add the ground beef and mix until combined, I like to do this by hand, trying not to overmix.
- Place the mixture on a sheet tray and form it into a loaf. You can also use a 9x5 loaf pan to form a loaf. Press the meat mixture into the loaf pan and press down so it is even. Invert the loaf pan onto the sheet tray and remove the pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. While the meatloaf is baking, make the glaze. Place the remaining ¼ cup ketchup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Take out the meatloaf after the initial 30 minutes and brush on the glaze, use all of it.
- Bake an additional 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let cool on the counter for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with optional parsley.
Notes
- You can add vegetables to this if you'd like, see above on how we like to do this.
- This does not have to be glazed, see other options above.
- Use a lean ground beef.
- You can switch the meat up to half beef and pork, or you can use chicken or turkey as well.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Comments & Reviews
momto8blog says
the perfect comfort food!! yum!
Dana DeVolk says
oh yea!
Grey says
I just love your recipes! Meatloaf has always been a favorite of mine, but I forget to make it. This is just what I needed to fill out my week -to weekend. I like to make sandwiches -if- any is leftover.
Dana DeVolk says
That’s so sweet, thank you! I LOVE meatloaf sandwiches! Unfortunately there are usually no leftovers… (-:
Crystelle Boutique says
We love meatloaf at our house, and this lone looks terrific! Guess what we’re having for dinner tonight…???
hugs x
Crystelle
Diana Rambles says
YUMMY! Meatloaf is comforting!!
Dana DeVolk says
I’m glad, yay!
Christine aka happyvballgirl says
Looks yummy and definitely trying this one! 🙂 thanks for sharing at Diana’s pin me party! 🙂
Lissa says
One of my favorite meals! Yours looks like a great version. Pinned and loved – thank you for sharing at MightyCrafty Mondays!
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures says
Mmmm… Meatloaf, a wonderful comfort food! Thank you for sharing this recipe with Wednesday’s Adorned From Above Blog Hop! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Christina at I Gotta Create! says
One of the most perfect comfort foods!! I make a meatless variety (yes, really!) that I’ll have to share sometime. Just seeing this is making my mouth water!! 😉
Thank you for partying with the Wildly Original Crowd.
<3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
Carrie says
Thanks for linking this yummy meatloaf up to Think Tank Thursday. You have been featured today!
http://www.saving4six.com/2013/01/welcome-to-think-tank-thursday-11.html
Dana DeVolk says
Yay! Thanks so much for featuring me!
Heather says
I’m going to feature this one, too! I’m so glad that you shared these fabulous posts on Tips & Tricks…. I’m diggin’ way back in the linky party vault, and it’s worth it! 😉