Classic Meatloaf Recipe

This Classic Meatloaf recipe turns out perfect every time. Tender meatloaf that’s perfectly seasoned with a sweet ketchup glaze. A comforting, and hearty make ahead dinner that’s easy enough for any night of the week.

Why We Love This Classic Meatloaf Recipe

We are a HUGE meatloaf loving family, so when we give you guys a recipe you should know that it’s going to be delicious. We test these meatloaf recipes, like all of our recipes several times before we send them your way so there’s no guesswork involved.

• Classic, comforting flavors: The sweet ketchup glaze on this meatloaf reminds me of the meatloaf my mom used to make growing up. If you’re not a fan of the ketchup glaze, try our Brown Gravy Meatloaf instead.
• Make ahead recipe: You can make this meatloaf ahead of time and cook it when you need it. Leftovers are also fantastic, some say even better!
• Feeds a crowd: This 2 1/2 pound meatloaf will easily feed 6 people with a little leftover.

Things We Have Learned Over the Years About Meatloaf

There’s a few things that I think are key to making the best meatloaf you can get on your dinner table.

The first thing is using what most grocery stores call a “meatloaf mix”. Meatloaf mix is a combination of beef, pork and veal instead of using all beef. This combination of meats makes for a super juicy meatloaf.

Another key to making the best meatloaf is making sure that you don’t over mix the meat. Just mix it enough with your hands (clean hands are the best tools!) to make sure all the ingredients are combined and walk away.

Not only does cooking the onions before adding them to the meatloaf mixture soften the onions but it brings out the sweetness and adds much better flavor. So cook the onions from now on, you won’t go back.

The last tip for making the best meatloaf is to test your meatloaf for seasoning before it goes into the oven! I mean, how disappointing would it be to get this big meatloaf in the oven, cook it for almost and hour then bite in to a bland, under-seasoned meatloaf.

The best way to do this is to take a piece of the meatloaf and fry it up in a pan before baking your meatloaf. Check it for seasonings, adjust if needed, then proceed.

Ingredients:

Meatloaf can be a base recipe for a lot of add ins, or you can make a chicken or turkey meatloaf too! This classic meatloaf recipe starts with a few basics…

• Meatloaf Mix: Meatloaf mix is a combination of pork, beef and veal that you can find in most grocery stores in the butcher department. The flavor you get from the different types of meat mixed together is what gives this meatloaf it’s amazing flavor! Can’t find meatloaf mix? Use a combination of beef and pork, or all ground beef will work too.
• Onions: Lots of onions, people. Don’t skimp on this ingredient, onions give meat and amazing flavor but the also help to keep the meatloaf juicy. Just make sure to cook them down so that there’s no crunchy, raw onions in your meatloaf.
• Eggs: Eggs are going to help to bind the meatloaf together.
• Panko Bread Crumbs: I like the texture that Panko bread crumbs give to this recipe, and they help to lighten up the meatloaf so it’s not too dense.
• Ketchup: There’s a classic ketchup glaze that goes on top of this meatloaf while it’s cooking and those edges where the glaze are is literally the best part. The glaze also helps to keep the meatloaf moist and not dry out.
• Seasonings & Condiments: You’ll need a few additional seasoning and condiments to make this meatloaf, most of which you probably have on hand!

How To Make Meatloaf With Ketchup Glaze:

1. Start by cooking down the onions, as we’ve mentioned before this is a crucial step for flavor! Stir in tomato paste and let the onions cool.
2. Now get a large bowl and add the meatloaf mix, seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, bread crumbs, mustard and then the cooled onions. Mix gently to just combine the ingredients.
3. Form the mixture into a “loaf” shape on a baking sheet.
4. Mix the ingredients together for the glaze and pour half over the top of the meatloaf, saving half for later.
5. Bake the meatloaf for 35 minutes, then remove from the oven and pour on the rest of the glaze. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until the meatloaf in cooked through in the center. If the glaze is getting too dark you can loosely cover the meatloaf with foil.

Can You Freeze Meatloaf?

Meatloaf is a one of the best dinner recipe that I can think of for making ahead of time. There’s a few different ways to make meatloaf ahead and have an easy dinner waiting for you!

• You can make the meatloaf ahead, put in in your refrigerator and bake it off before dinner
• Make the meatloaf and cook, then reheat in the microwave right before dinner
• Make the meatloaf, bake, let cool then slice and freeze for easy reheating
• Make the meatloaf, wrap and freeze before baking, then take out a day before you need it. Let the meatloaf thaw in the refrigerator then bake per the directions.

What Can I Serve With Meatloaf?

There’s so many side dishes that go perfectly with meatloaf, but we’ll list a few of our favorites for you!

• Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Homemade Shoestring French Fries
• Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
• Grandma’s Stuffed Artichokes
• Spicy Mushroom Rice
• Perfect Spanish Rice
• Sheet Pan Loaded Brussels Sprouts or easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

Looking For More Meatloaf Recipes?

• Italian Meatloaf
• Ritz Cracker Meatloaf
• Tasty AF Turkey Meatloaf
• Chicken Cordon Blue Meatloaf
• Meatloaf Sandwich

Classic Meatloaf Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 25 reviews

• Author: Dan
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

This Classic Meatloaf recipe turns out perfect every time! Tender meatloaf that’s perfectly seasoned with a sweet ketchup glaze. A make ahead dinner for any night of the week. We are a BIG meatloaf family, so you can be sure that this recipe has been tested hundreds of times!

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 – 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (we use 2 1/2, but if you’re sensitive to salt use 2)
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix or ground beef (you need to use 2 2/12 pounds of meat for the recipe to be flavored correctly, see note)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• For the Glaze:
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add the butter and oil to a skillet over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onions and cook 7-8 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the tomato paste to the skillet and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
3. Add the meatloaf mix to a large bowl along with the salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and then the cooled, cooked onions.
4. Mix together until all the ingredients are incorporated – but don’t over mix – as this will result in a tougher meatloaf.
5. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Add the meatloaf mixture to the baking sheet, forming into a loaf shape approximately 10″ long by 5″ wide. Make sure to form the loaf into a even shape all around so that it cooks evenly.
6. Stir the ingredients together for the glaze in a bowl. Pour half of the glaze over the meatloaf, reserving the other half.
7. Place the meatloaf and in the oven and cook for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour on more glaze and then return to the oven and bake another 25 minutes. The meatloaf should register 165 degrees when finished.

Recipe Notes

If your meatloaf mix is under 2 1/2 pounds, you can make up the rest with more ground beef. You can also use all ground beef to make this meatloaf, or just a combination of ground beef and ground pork, we prefer using more ground beef (like 2 pounds of beef to 1/2 pound of pork) in that instance.

Store: Store leftover meatloaf in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Reheat: Reheat leftover meatloaf in the microwave or covered with aluminum foil in a 350 degree oven, until warmed. Through.

• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American