This Old Fashioned Meatloaf recipe is quick, easy, and delicious, making it the ultimate Sunday night dinner. It stays super moist, has a delicious tangy glaze, and makes great sandwiches for lunch throughout the week.
If you’re looking for even more classic ground beef recipes, you can also try our Beef Chili, Pasta E Fagioli Soup, Ground Beef Pasta Bake, or these Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Old Fashioned Classic: Juicy inside with a sweet-tangy glaze, just like Grandma used to make.
- Pantry Ingredients: Simple, budget-friendly staples.
- Family Favorite: Comfort food that makes great leftovers.
The Best Old Fashioned Meatloaf Recipe
If you’re looking for a recipe for traditional meatloaf, like the kind you grew up eating, we’ve got you covered. This recipe couldn’t be simpler to put together and uses very few ingredients. It’s topped with a tangy glaze, made from tomato sauce and barbecue sauce, that’s finger-licking good.
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Key Ingredients
- Ground beef – I like to use 15/85 % fat, but you can also use 10/90 % fat if you prefer ground beef with less saturated fat. Just add an extra egg yolk so your meatloaf isn’t dry.
- Italian bread crumbs – the bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs) soak up the juices and keep the meatloaf from being too moist. Any brand from the grocery store will do. You can also substitute an equal amount of Panko bread or even cracker crumbs.
- Eggs – any brand of large whole eggs will do. This is what helps hold the meatloaf together.
- Bell Peppers – I like to use a combination of yellow and red peppers, but green peppers or orange peppers would also work.
- Onions – yellow or white onions have a nice sweet flavor once cooked so that is my preference for meatloaf.
- Tomato sauce – to make the glaze, you can use either tomato sauce or ketchup.
- Barbeque sauce – use your favorite brand. This makes the glaze nice and tangy.
How To Make Homemade Meatloaf
- Combine the hamburger mixture. In a large bowl, add the hamburger, bread crumbs, eggs, cream, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook the onions and peppers. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil, onion, and bell pepper. Cook until soft and translucent.
- Mix. Add the onions and peppers to the meat mixture. Use a spoon, or your hands, to gently mix the ingredients together until well combined.
- Assemble. Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan. Pat the meat into loaf shape. In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce and barbeque sauce and spoon the mixture over the meatloaf.
- Bake. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 55 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- Serve. Let the meatloaf rest for 8-10 minutes before serving (this will keep it from falling apart when you cut it). Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Cheese Stuffed: Add a strip of cheddar or mozzarella down the center before shaping.
- BBQ meatloaf: Swap ketchup glaze for BBQ sauce; add smoked paprika to the mix.
- Italian Style: Use Italian seasoning, parmesan, and marinara glaze.
- Turykey Meatloaf: Use ground turkey; add extra sauteed onions and a splash of milk for moisture.
- Veggie Boost: Fold in finely diced sauteed bell pepper, carrot , or sauteed mushrooms.
- Cracker or Oat Binder: Replace breadcrumbs with crushed Ritz/Saltines, or quick Oats.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s best to cook your meatloaf at 350 degrees. Higher temperatures reduce your cooking time but can leave the meat slightly drier, and lower temperatures take longer.
The cooking time for meatloaf depends largely on your oven as well as the size of your loaf pan and how much meat mixture is inside. A rough guide would be about 45 minutes for a 1 pound loaf, 55 minutes for a 2 pound loaf, or 1 hour and 20 minutes for a 3 pound loaf.
Remember that you should ALWAYS use a thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees.
Meatloaf will last in the fridge for 4-5 days. Be sure to store it in an airtight container.
If you want to make meatloaf without breadcrumbs, you can substitute crackers. Use a dry cracker-like a Ritz or Cheez-It. Or, if you are trying to make this gluten free, use your favorite Gluten Free crackers.
Cook your meatloaf until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees F, or the very middle of the meatloaf is just slightly pink.
Helpful Tips
- Use a meat blend of 80/20 or 85/15 to keep it juicy.
- Dice the onion: Dice your onion finely or even grate it so it blens in and adds moisture without big chunks.
- Don’t overmix: Mix gently until combined, Overmixing makes meatloaf dense.
- Add moisture: Eggs, milk, and breadcrumbs (or crushed crackers) bind and keep it tender.
- Shape it: Bake in a bread loaf pan, free-form on a lined baking sheet, or in a cupcake tin.
- Rest before slicing: Let it rest 10-15 minutes so slices stay neat.
- Glaze in layers: Brush half the glaze before baking and the rest in the last 15 minutes.
Storing and Reheating
- To Make-Ahead: assemble the meatloaf (except for the glaze), and then cover with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 48 hours before you’re ready to cook it. Once you are ready, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before spooning the glaze over the top and baking as directed.
- Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: make sure it’s cooled completely, remove from the baking pan, wrap it in aluminum foil, and place it in a freezer bag. Use within 2 months of freezing.
- To reheat: either reheat in a microwave or place (covered) in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.
More Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Love
Old Fashioned Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, 15/85
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 small bell pepper , diced (about 2/3 cup)
Meatloaf Glaze
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce, (or ketchup)
- 1/4 cup barbeque sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add the ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, onion, and bell pepper. Saute until the onions and peppers are soft and translucent.
- Let cool slightly, then add the onions and peppers to the meat mixture. Use a spoon, or your hands, to gently mix the ingredients together until well combined.
- Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan. Pat the meat into loaf shape. In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce and barbeque sauce. Spoon the mixture over the meatloaf.
- Bake uncovered in a preheated oven for about 55 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 8-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- To Make-Ahead: assemble the meatloaf (except for the glaze), and then cover with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 48 hours before you’re ready to cook it. Once you are ready, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before spooning the glaze over the top and baking as directed.
- Storing leftovers: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: remove from the baking pan, wrap in aluminum foil, and place it in a freezer bag. Use within 2 months of freezing.
- To reheat: reheat in a microwave, or cover and warm in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.
- For the ground beef, you can also use 10/90 but you’ll want to add an extra egg so your meatloaf isn’t dry.
- A great substitute for the Italian breadcrumbs is Panko Breadcrumbs or crackers
Nutrition
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This Old-Fashioned Meatloaf is quick, easy, delicious, and the only meatloaf recipe you will ever need. It makes the ultimate Sunday OR weeknight dinner that your family will love.
Delicious, hubby said make that again anytime!!!!
This recipe turned out so well. I didn’t have cream. But this still turned out AMAZING! Thank you for sharing ?
This was moist and flavorful. I will definitely make it again.
So glad to hear you loved it as much as we do! Thanks for letting me know!
Great meatloaf recipe! My family loves it!
Hooray! Thanks for the comment!