This very simple meatloaf recipe is easy to put together and has always been a crowd pleaser at our house. Just the basics needed to make the best meatloaf everyone will love.
Jump to RecipeWhat you will need
For the meatloaf
- loaf pan (I prefer glass)
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup (maybe a little more) bread crumbs*
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 tbs dried parsley
- 1 tsp salt*
- 1/2 tsp ground sage
- 1/4 tsp pepper
For the topping
- 1/2 Ketchup
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard (optional)
*Recipe includes substitutions for these ingredients
What ground beef to use
I like to used the leanest ground beef I can find for meatloaf. This means only 7% fat whenever possible. For me this is mainly so I have less fat to drain off towards the end of cooking. If you have to use a ground beef with a higher % you can add more bread crumbs to absorb some of the extra fat while cooking, or just have more to drain off.
Substitutions
Don’t have bread crumbs? That’s fine you can use any form of dried bread in place of the bread crumbs. Think croutons, crackers of any kind, stale bread left of the counter, as long as it’s not moldy. Just crush or put into a food processer and you have bread crumbs!
Salt is another fun one to substitute, even if you’re not out of salt. You can use any salty liquid in place of the salt, like soy sauce, A1, or Worcestershire sauce. Changing up what salt you use is a fun way to make this recipe a little different every time.
What to do
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl add eggs, milk, bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt sage and pepper. Mix with a fork until everything is well combined.
Add ground beef and mix well using a fork and your hands. Put the meat mixture into a loaf pan and shape into a loaf. It is important to shape the sides rounded like a loaf to make draining the fat off later easier.
Put in oven and cook for 45 minuets, remove and drain and scoop off fat.
In a clean bowl mix together topping, use a spoon to put the topping on the meat loaf and spread evenly.
Return to oven and cook for another 15-20 minuets.
let cool for 5 minuets before cutting and serving with you favorite sides.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 375
- In a large bowl mix together, eggs, milk, bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, sage, and pepper until well combined
- Add ground beef to bowl and mix together using a fork or your hands
- Put meat mixture into loaf pan and form a loaf shape. Creating rounded edges like a loaf is important for making draining the fat off later easier.
- Bake in oven for 45 minuets
- Remove from oven and drain fat
- Mix together topping ingredients, using a spoon put topping on meatloaf and spread evenly
- Bake an additional 15-20 minuets
- Let cool for about 5 minuets before cutting a serving with your favorite sides
Check out more recipes here
Leave a Reply