The Best Meatloaf Recipe (Video)

This is the Best Homemade Meatloaf recipe. It is the juiciest and tenderest meatloaf I’ve ever made. It has the best flavor and the most incredible tangy glaze topping. Serve this easy meatloaf with homemade pasta, mashed potatoes or steamed broccoli. Your whole family is going to love this hearty chunk of ground beef in a loaf shape. Best of all, it is quick, easy and budget-friendly!
Looking for the best Meatloaf recipe? It’s right here.

Meatloaf Recipe

This Meatloaf recipe is fail proof, meatloaf comes perfect every time! Forget about blank, hard and dry meatloaf. Made of ground beef, panko bread crumbs, onion, parsley and seasoned to perfection! The bright tangy sauce brings this meatloaf to the next level. Leftovers can be used to make the best meatloaf sandwiches. I am sure it will become your family favorite!

How to make the best meatloaf (tips)

There are a few things which make this meatloaf absolutely the best. Let’s have a look!
• Use fresh ground beef: Never buy premade ground meat, it tends to be dense after cooking. I highly recommend to grind meat at home if you want to get tender and juicy meatloaf. Trust me, it will take not more than 5 minutes, using a food processor or a meat grinder.

• Regular ground beef: Use regular beef (70%-75% lean) for this meat loaf. It will hold shape very well and no greasy mess!
• DO NOT OVERMIX: When it comes to ground beef recipes, try to mix meat with other ingredients as little as possible. Over mixing will result in a firm texture after roasting.

• Bake it without a loaf pan: I know it may sound strange to bake a meatloaf without a meatloaf pan. But it is seriously the best way to cook a meatloaf and get crust all around. I tried to bake it in a loaf pan as well in the past and struggled to take my meatloaf out of the greased pan. Can you cook meatloaf on a cookie sheet or baking tray? YES!!! You should! Simply line a cookie sheet/baking tray or a grill skillet with parchment paper and place the meatloaf onto it.
• Allow the cooked meatloaf rest: Allow meatloaf rest for 10-15 minutes, it will make slicing easy as the meatloaf will hold together better.

What are the basic ingredients for meatloaf

• Ground beef: As I mentioned above, use regular beef (70%-75% lean) because it gives the best results.
• Panko bread crumbs: The recipe calls for 2 cups of panko bread crumbs. You can use slices of bread also. You will need 6 slices of bread instead of 2 cups of panko bread crumbs.
• Milk: Soak bread crumbs or bread slices in milk until they become soggy. The mixture works like a binder and adds moisture to the meat loaf.
• Eggs: The eggs help to bind the meat loaf.
• Onion and garlic: I prefer to sauté onion and garlic for additional flavor and then combine them with other ingredients for meatloaf. This guarantees that onion will be 100% soft. You can skip sautéing and grind meat together with onion and garlic.
• Parsley: Use any fresh herbs of your choice. Everything will work.
• Salt & pepper

What else can you add to meatloaf?

• • Cheddar Cheese: If you love cheesy things, add your favorite hard cheese to make this meatloaf even better.
  • Tomato paste/ Ketchup
  • Worcestershire sauce

• Dijon mustard

Meatloaf glaze recipe

This glaze turns a good meatloaf into something really incredible! All the flavors are so well balanced in this glaze, not too tangy, not to sweet. Pour half of the sauce over the meatloaf before baking and bake for 1 hour, and another half of this amazing sauce is added during the baking.

How long to cook meatloaf?

Bake it for 1 hour at 200 C/400 F, then remove the meatloaf from the oven spread the remaining glaze over it and bake for another 15 minutes.

How long should meatloaf rest before cutting?

Tent the meatloaf with a foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. If you slice it immediately, it can fall apart.

Can I freeze uncooked meatloaf?

Yes! Prepare the meat mixture, shape it (using a loaf pan), cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour. Take the partially frozen meat loaf out of the pan, cover with plastic all around and freeze. Transfer to the fridge and defrost overnight or for 16-18 hours before cooking.

How do I freeze cooked meatloaf?

The cooked meatloaf freezes very well too. Wrap the whole meatloaf or individual slices in plastic and put them in an airtight container. You can defrost slices in microwave.

Want to know how to reheat the leftover meatloaf in the oven and microwave? Check Southern Meatloaf recipe.

Other Beef recipes:

• Beef Stroganoff
• Philly Cheesesteak
• Easy Pelmeni
• Swedish meatballs
• Pesto meatballs

If you make it  and you think this meatloaf recipe best thing you ever ate,  leave a comment or give this recipe a rating! I will be happy to hear from you!

THE BEST MEATLOAF RECIPE

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★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

• Author: Tatiana M
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 10

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Description

This is the Best Homemade Meatloaf recipe. It is the juiciest and tenderest meatloaf I’ve ever made. It has the best flavor and the most incredible tangy glaze topping. Serve this easy meatloaf with homemade pasta, mashed potatoes or steamed broccoli. Your whole family is going to love this hearty chunk of ground beef in a loaf shape. Best of all, it is quick, easy and budget-friendly!

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Ingredients

FOR MEATLOAF

• Vegetable oil- 2 tbsp.
• Onion ( finely diced)-1
• Garlic cloves ( minced)-4
• Panko bread crumbs-2 cups
• Milk -¾ cup
• Ground beef ( lean or regular)- 1 kg/ 2.2 pound
• White Cheddar cheese ( shredded)- 1 cup
• Tomato paste- 3 tbsp.
• Large eggs - 2
• Worcestershire sauce-2 tbsp.
• Fresh parsley ( finely chopped)- ¼ cup
• Dijon mustard-  1 tbsp.
• Salt- 1 tsp or to taste
• Ground black pepper- ½ tsp.

FOR THE GLAZE

• Ketchup- ¾ cup
• Dark brown sugar- 2 tbsp.
• White vinegar-4 tbsp.
• Worcestershire sauce- 1 tbsp.
• Garlic powder- 1 tsp.
• Crack pepper- ½ tsp.

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Instructions

Meatloaf

• Preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C with the rack in the center of the oven. Spray a meatloaf pan with  a cooking spray or grease with oil lightly. Grease also a grill skillet or a regular baking sheet.
• Soak panko bread crumbs in milk in a large bowl.
• Meantime heat 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil  in a skillet and sauté the diced onion until translucent, then add garlic  and continue cooking for a further 20-30 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Combine the soaked bread crumbs with the sautéed onion/garlic, beef, Cheddar cheese, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, parsley, tomato sauce, ground black pepper and salt.
• Mix with your hands until just combined.
• Transfer the meat mixture into a greased loaf pan and press lightly  to shape the meat loaf, then turn it out onto the prepared grill skillet.
• In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients for the glaze: ketchup, dark brown sugar, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce,garlic powder and cracked black pepper.
• Pour half of the glaze over the meatloaf and spread evenly, using a spoon. Bake for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and spread the remaining glaze over the meatloaf.
• Return  to the oven and bake another 15 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve with mashed potatoes, jasmine rice, steamed broccoli or brown rice.

Equipment

Panko bread crumbs

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Stand mixer

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Electric Meat Grinder

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• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 1 hour 15 min
• Category: Beef recipes
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Calories: 320 kcal
• Sodium: 217 mg
• Fat: 19 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Carbohydrates: 10 g
• Protein: 22 g
• Cholesterol: 109 mg

Keywords: meatloaf, best meatloaf recipe, how to make meatloaf, meatloaf, how long to cook meatloaf

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