We all grew up eating meatloaf Recipe, it’s pretty much a regular in every home. This recipe is the one mom used to make, and I can vouch for it not only being amazing but also very quick and simple to make.
It doesn’t get easier than throwing all your components together in a bowl, and baking them in a loaf pan with a tasty sauce on top. It’s basically the straightforward classic meatloaf recipe with a little bit of twist.
🔪 How To Make Easy Meatloaf Recipe
The idea of the perfect meatloaf varies from one person to another. In my opinion, your meatloaf should ideally still be firm but juicy, with a zesty outside. Of course, the seasoning you add plays a huge role. For example, use freshly grated garlic and onion instead of garlic and onion powders. This way, you get more flavor and there are no bits and pieces of garlic or onion which doesn’t help with the texture. Other great spices to use in your meat mix are Italian seasoning and parsley, not to forget the key component which is Worcestershire sauce.
📖 How To Keep Meatloaf Moist
Adding some milk and breadcrumbs to your mix will keep your meatloaf juicy. The milk seeps into the breadcrumbs, which in turn allows that moisture to stay in the meat and keep it tender.
Overmixing or working your meat too much will also make it dry, so try to keep that to a minimum.
Use your hands to combine everything, while keeping gentle. This ensures that the natural fat in your meat stays intact and doesn’t separate, otherwise it will firm up. The way to find out if you’ve overmixed it is if you have white residue on your hands.
🌟 What is The Best Meat For Meatloaf?
There's been a debate over which meat is best, while some think high fat is bad for you, others vouch for it being perfect for a moist meatloaf. If you also try to feed your family in a somewhat healthy way and try to keep the calories low, use lean ground beef (90-95% lean). The key, as mentioned, is mixing in some breadcrumbs with milk and grated onion juice to keep it tender, without the need of a high fat content meat.
🔪 How To Cook Meatloaf
To prepare your meatloaf, you will need to use a small bowl, a large bowl, a loaf pan, and a grater for the garlic-onion combo, which you can also mince, if you make sure to chop them finely. Combine your eggs, panko breadcrumbs, milk, grated onion and garlic, ketchup, pepper, salt, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, and meat in the bigger bowl. Use your hand to mix carefully, only enough to blend everything
together. Lay out the mix evenly in an oiled loaf pan, and cook in your oven for 40 minutes at 375 F. When the time is up, coat with sauce on top and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes.
🔪 How To Make Meatloaf Sauce
Usually, meatloaf sauce has a bit of zest to it, with a kick of spiciness and sweetness. To make it you will need to combine some Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, pepper, salt, and apple cider vinegar. If you like a bit of spice and you won’t be sharing this with your kids, you can add a dash of hot sauce.
📝 How Long To Cook Meatloaf
One hour is typically the ideal cooking time, at 375 F temperature. For the first 40 minutes, the meatloaf should cook without a cover, then in the last 20 minutes, the sauce is added on top to cook uncovered as well, which makes it nice and crusty on the outside. If you have a meat thermometer, wait until it reaches 16 F.
🧊 How To Store Meatloaf Recipe
You can pre-make your meatloaf, then store it in your fridge for up to 4 days in a sealed container, or you can freeze it for 4 months.
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The Best Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 pounds of lean ground beef 90-95% lean
- ½ cup of grated onion
- 2 grated garlic cloves 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons of ketchup
- ¾ cup of Panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup of milk use 2%
- 2 tablespoons of dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
Meatloaf sauce:
- ¾ cup of ketchup
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- Pepper and salt
Instructions
- Combine your Panko breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, pepper, salt, parsley, garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, ketchup, paprika, and meat in a bowl.
- Spread the meat mix into an oiled loaf pan and cook in your oven for 40 minutes at 375 F.
- To prepare your sauce, stir together your garlic powder, onion powder, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, pepper, salt, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and mustard. 4. When 40 minutes are up, remove your meatloaf from the oven and coat with the sauce, Place back in the oven and cook for another 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below and tag @1MFoodie & @1MFoodieOfficial on Instagram!
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