Childhood memories of my mom’s meatloaf make me crave it often. I always liked it simple, and I love this recipe because it is simple, easy, and absolutely delicious. The meatloaf sandwiches made from leftovers were once of my favorite lunches then and they still are now!
It is comfort food and my family loves when I make this for dinner. I usually make fried apples, green beans, and mashed potatoes, but so many side dishes go perfectly with meatloaf!
This recipe is perfect and not dry – meatloaf that is dry is a terrible thing because it is avoidable. I have made this for dinner guests, and they raved about how wonderful it tasted. For one friend who has a gluten sensitivity, I used a slice of gluten free bread which worked beautifully and did not change the texture at all.
I think you will love this recipe as much as I! It also freezes well so make two and throw one in the freezer, you will be thankful you did!
Ingredients
2 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 medium onion – finely chopped
2 eggs – lightly beaten
1 slice of white bread – torn into small pieces
Glaze
1/3 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly spray a baking dish or pan with oil.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard for the glaze. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, salt, pepper, onion, eggs, and bread pieces. Mix well.
Place in prepared pan and shape into loaf. Make sure you have space between the meatloaf and the side of the baking dish or pan.
Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven, and spread half of the glaze over the top.
Return to oven and bake for 30 minutes more (inner temperature should be 160° F).
Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes
Spoon remaining glaze over the top.
Notes
• Pan: Avoid using a loaf pan because the steam cannot escape, and the meatloaf will turn into a brick. A baking sheet – or a baking dish with room around the meatloaf – will give you the best meatloaf.
• Freezing: Meatloaf freezes well and if you double the recipe and freeze the second one, you will have quick meals for those nights you just do not want to cook. Cook the meatloaf, let cool and either leave it whole or cut the loaf into slices, place in an airtight container or wrap in foil and place in a Ziploc freezer bag. It will keep in the freezer up to 3 months.
• Reheating from Frozen: Preheat oven to 350° F, take meatloaf out of the freezer, remove from Ziploc bag and foil, and place in a baking dish and loosely cover with foil. Place it in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and heated through. You don’t want to overheat it, or the meatloaf will be dry. To avoid this, you can add ¼ cup of beef broth in the bottom of the baking dish before putting in the oven.
• Microwaving from Frozen: Let the meatloaf thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat slices in the microwave at 50% power until heated through. I microwave for 1 minute at first and then in 30 second intervals until heated through.
• Gluten Free: Use a slice of gluten free bread – it works just as well!