With a few simple ingredients, you can make this Traditional Fast and Easy Meatloaf Recipe just like Mom used to make!
The Ultimate Comfort Food
Nothing says comfort food like a meatloaf. And not just any meatloaf. I’m talking about the meatloaf your mom made when you were a kid. The kind that transports you back to your childhood, enveloped in the warmth of mom’s kitchen.
What to serve with meatloaf?
The recipe isn’t fancy and doesn’t need to be. This easy meatloaf recipe is fast enough for a midweek meal but special enough for a Sunday dinner. Serve the it with homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, or your preferred steamed or roasted vegetables for a delicious meal.
Moreover, meatloaf goes nicely with easy smashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, rice pilaf, or scalloped potatoes. This amazing homemade meatloaf recipe has a tangy and sweet sauce and is juicy and soft on the inside. This seasoning is wonderfully balanced and the ketchup-based topping gives a fantastic flavor boost. This recipe for traditional homemade meatloaf is flavorful, moist, and tender. You can serve it proudly on one of these beautiful serving platters.
What is in a traditional meatloaf?
Everyone has their recipe for this dish, which is commonly handed down through generations, whether it is cooked with ground beef or ground turkey, ketchup, or tomato sauce. A hearty, dense dish called meatloaf is created with ground meat, spices, and sometimes a stabilizing ingredient like breadcrumbs. You have complete control over the ingredient mix! Make a meatloaf that the entire family will eat and appreciate.
Looking for Other Homemade Recipes?
Of course, meatloaf would be amazing by itself, but everyone knows mom wouldn’t make just that. Creamy mashed potatoes with homemade gravy, green beans cooked with bacon and onions, or macaroni and cheese with those little French fried onion rings on top are a great sides.
What about dessert?
A warm fruit cobbler or baked apples with vanilla ice cream make for a lovely and lighter dessert after this wonderfully filling meal.
Be sure to make plenty of this fast and easy Meatloaf, you may want leftovers so you can enjoy this Meatloaf Sandwich – another classic childhood favorite!
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Fast and Easy Meatloaf
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
With a few simple ingredients you can have Meatloaf just like Mom used to make.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of Ground Beef
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ketchup (or combination of 3/4 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup A1 for top of meatloaf)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Gently mix all ingredients except ketchup together in a large bowl until just combined. Do not overmix or the loaf will become too dense.
- Shape gently into loaf pan.
- Pour ketchup over top and spread evenly with back of spoon.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. Use an instant read thermometer in the middle of the loaf. It should read 140°F.
- Let the meatloaf stand for 5 minutes before serving and slicing for a perfectly moist loaf.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
Why You’ll Love this Fast and Easy Meatloaf Recipe?
A no-fuss recipe: There are only a few simple ingredients needed to make this meatloaf. It is very simple to prepare, making it ideal for hectic evenings.
It slices beautifully: meatloaf is simple to portion, and it’s excellent for leftovers, lunches, and dinner preparation.
Super nutritious and hearty: Packed with protein, this fast and easy meatloaf is hearty and nourishing, a perfect comfort food for the winter months.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How to store leftover meatloaf?
Leftover meatloaf can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight or up to 5 days. Leftover meatloaf makes an awesome sandwich filling!
Can I freeze meatloaf?
Yes, this recipe actually freezes very well. Store cooked leftovers in an airtight container, such as a ziplock freezer bag, in the freezer for up to 3 months. After that, I find that the frozen meats invariably dry out. If the meatloaf is already sliced, I recommend wrapping each slice in parchment paper before freezing to make it easy to defrost individual slices.
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?
I’ve tried substituting ground turkey to make the dish even more heart healthy, but it lost some of the flavor. At most, I would substitute half of the ground beef with ground turkey. If you do, add 1/4 cup beef broth to the meatloaf mixture for added moisture. You can use 1 Tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon and 1/4 cup water if you prefer.
Can I freeze meatloaf before I cook it?
Yes, after combining the ingredients and shaping the loaf, cover it tightly in plastic wrap before putting it in an airtight freezer bag. In the freezer, raw meatloaf should remain edible for up to six months. It is important to take into account whether the meat was frozen before being used to make the meatloaf. I do not recommend re-freezing thawed raw meat. Allow meatloaf to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
What if I don’t have breadcrumbs?
Guess what? I didn’t have any when I last made this so improvised. I toasted two slices of gluten-free bread, pulsed them in my mini food processor, and then toasted them again. It slowed me down a bit, but it sure worked well! In the past I have also used cracker crumbs, again pulsed in food processor.
Nutrition Information
Per serving:
| Calories | 289 kcal | Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Protein | 28 g | Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g | Potassium | 539 mg |
| Iron | 5 mg | Sodium | 860 mg |
| Vitamin A | 180IU | Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 12 g | Vitamin C | 2 mg |
| Cholesterol | 110 mg | Calcium | 55 mg |
11 Comments
Easy & very tasty!
Made it, finally. Very tasty indeed.
Glad you liked it, Alison!
My first time!!! Will comment after. Making it for diner.
Can’t wait to hear how it was!
OMG! So easy… husband liked it. Mission accomplished ?
Love this – it’s in the oven right now – I’ve made it a few times ?
Didn’t had bread crumbs. So used Italian bread crumbs instead.
Loved it only used 1 IB of meat instead of two and didn’t cut any ingredients in half used the same amount as what it called for, for 2 IB and it was super yummy ??
Have made this for years. I like something to pour over mashed potatoes so I sauté chopped onion in some butter then add a can of crushed tomatoes, cook for about 15 minutes then pour over meatloaf about 15 minutes before it is finishes cooking. So good.
Made this but added one full green pepper chopped, 1tbls of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 cup of ketchup in to the mix and Doubled the garlic powder.