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.
To make old fashioned meatloaf, mix 2 pounds of ground beef with bread crumbs, eggs, heavy cream, sautéed onion and bell pepper, and seasonings. Press it into a loaf pan, top with a tomato sauce and BBQ glaze, and bake at 350°F for about 55 minutes, until it reaches 160°F inside.
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 85/15 % fat, but you can also use 90/10 % fat if you prefer ground beef with less saturated fat. Just add an extra egg so your meatloaf isn’t dry.
- Italian bread crumbs – the bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs) soak up the juices so the meatloaf holds together. 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.
- Heavy cream – the secret to a super moist meatloaf. Whole milk works too, but cream makes it richer and more tender.
- 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 9″ x 5″ 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
This classic meatloaf is easy to switch up. Here are a few favorite ideas:
- Ketchup brown sugar glaze. For the classic diner-style topping, mix ½ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of yellow mustard or apple cider vinegar.
- Cheese-stuffed. Press half the meat into the pan, add a layer of shredded cheddar or mozzarella, then top with the rest of the meat.
- Bacon-wrapped. Lay strips of bacon over the top before baking for a smoky, crispy crust.
- Italian style. Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and ¼ cup of Parmesan to the meat, and top with marinara instead of the glaze.
- Turkey meatloaf. Use ground turkey, and add an extra splash of cream to keep it moist.
- Cracker meatloaf. Swap the bread crumbs for 1 cup of crushed Ritz or saltine crackers.
- Mini meatloaves. Shape into individual loaves or press into a muffin tin, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Or try my Mini Meatloaf recipe.
- Free-form. Shape the loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet instead of a loaf pan for more crispy, caramelized edges.
Serve it with my Mashed Red Potatoes or Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes for a classic Sunday dinner.
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.
Heavy cream adds richness and moisture, so the meatloaf stays tender instead of dry. It soaks into the bread crumbs and keeps the meat juicy as it bakes.
Yes! Whole milk or 2% milk works fine. The meatloaf will be slightly less rich, but still moist.
It usually needs more binder or more rest time. Make sure you use both eggs and the full cup of bread crumbs, and let the meatloaf rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing so the juices settle.
No. Bake it uncovered so the glaze can caramelize and the outside gets a little crust.
Yes! Freeze cooked, cooled meatloaf wrapped in foil and placed in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the shaped, unbaked loaf. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before baking.
Mashed potatoes are the classic side. Roasted green beans, glazed carrots, buttered corn, or a simple green salad all round out the meal.
Helpful Recipe Tips
- Use a meat blend of 85/15 to keep it juicy.
- Dice the onion: Dice your onion finely or even grate it so it blends in and adds moisture without big chunks.
- Don’t overmix: Mix gently until combined. Overmixing makes meatloaf dense.
- Add moisture: Eggs, cream (or 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
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, 85/15
- 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 9×5-inch loaf pan—it should be about 2½-3-inches deep. Pat the meat into loaf shape. In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce and barbecue 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!
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
Did you make this?
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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.
What size loaf pan should be used?
Hi, John! For this recipe, I would use a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. You want the meatloaf mixture to be about 2 1/2-3″ deep in the pan.
So simple and not a whole lot of ingredients.
but tastes fantastic !
definitely my favorite ! thank you so much !
Yay, so glad you liked it!
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!