This is the best meatloaf recipe ever! This traditional meatloaf recipe is just like mom used to make, made with ground beef and a sweet and tangy glaze topping.
What Makes A Really Good Meatloaf
I think the trick to good meatloaf is using lean ground beef. The problem with a lot of meatloaf recipes is that they call for ground beef with a high fat content. As the meatloaf cooks, the fat cooks out and makes a greasy mess. Not this recipe!
How To Keep It Moist
You may be thinking, but won’t lean ground beef make the meatloaf dry? Not at all! The milk, egg, ketchup, and diced onion in the meat mixture are all working to keep the meatloaf moist and delicious.
Loaf Pan Versus Baking Sheet
I prefer to use a loaf pan because it keeps all the glaze in place perfectly and the meat is juicier. But, you could line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Shape the meatloaf into a loaf shape. Top with the glaze. And, bake as normal.
How To Make The Best Meatloaf
*Note: This is a summary. The full printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Make the Meatloaf:
- Add 90% lean ground beef to a large bowl.
- Add dried bread crumbs and some diced onion.
- Add milk, an egg, ketchup, and worcestershire sauce.
- Add dried parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Mix it together REALLY well.
- Pour the meat mixture into a loaf pan.
- Spread it into a flat even layer.
Make the Ketchup Glaze
- Add ketchup, brown sugar, and red wine vinegar to a bowl.
- Whisk until combined.
- Pour the glaze over the meatloaf.
- Bake it!
- Let it cool before slicing.
Can This Be Made Ahead Of Time
Absolutely! Just cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you’re ready for it. Then, uncover it and let it come to room temperature as you’re preheating the oven.
Can This Be Frozen
Yes! Prepare the meatloaf, put it in a loaf pan, and top with glaze according to the recipe directions. Cover the pan and freeze.
Place the frozen meatloaf in the refrigerator to thaw about 24 hours before you want to bake it. Then, uncover it and let it come to room temperature as you’re preheating the oven.
I’ve been playing around with this recipe for the past few months, making it many times. And, I didn’t mind the repetition at all because I do believe I ended up with the best classic meatloaf recipe ever. 🙂
More Easy Comfort Food Recipes
Find more of my recipes on TikTok
The Best Classic Meatloaf Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
- 1 cup dried bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. dried parsley leaves
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, add the beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons ketchup, worcestershire sauce, parsley, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Use your hands to mush and mix these ingredients together until well combined.*
- Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan. Pat the meat down into an even layer.
- In a small bowl, add ¼ cup ketchup, the brown sugar, and vinegar. Stir to combine. Pour the sauce on top of the meatloaf and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake uncovered for 55 minutes.
- Let the meatloaf rest for 8-10 minutes before serving (or it may fall apart).**
Notes
Nutrition
Check out all of my great ground beef recipes.
This is the absolute best meatloaf recipe I have ever made! My daughter asks for it all the time. And before I use to make this particular one she never asked for it. Kudos to see person who created this recipe!
Very good recipe, will only use this one from now on
Second time I tried this recipe it is easy and tastes great
Ive made this twice and I love it! I added red and green bell peppers and since I’m not a beef eater I always use lean ground turkey. …de-licious!!!
Love this didn’t care for the vinegar in glaze stuck with ketchup brown sugar and yellow mustard.
Soooo good. The best meatloaf recipe I have ever used!
I wish I would have read the comments about the green pepper.l my sweet mom always added it.
Great recipe. The family likes this meatloaf much better than other versions of M.L.
I was making for an event and quintupled the recipe. I used Progresso Italian bread crumbs, and felt that 5 cups was too much, as well as 2 1/2 c of milk. So I ended up with 3 cups crumbs and 1 1/2 c milk, and did add finely chopped fresh peppers. I cooked it in several different pans to see the difference, and found it needed to be cooked longer to fully cook in the flavors, and actually tasted better when cooled. Can’t wait for a sandwich! It seemed to have too much filler for my tastes. The meat I used was quite lean (1# of buffalo), yet it had enough fat to absorb the filler, and not seem to miss the reduced milk. I will be cooking the rest of the meat loaves today, so we’ll see how it has done being refrigerated all night.
Rather than use brown sugar and vinegar in sauce, I used ketchup, white basalmic glaze (though brown would do) and a bit of Worsteshire sauce. It is a bit easier than the brown sugar for sweetness, and handles both ingredients at once. The W sauce was just for me. It’s a great change. I guess I really didn’t follow much of the recipe, did I?
If I double this, any idea how much longer I should cook it for?
to clarify, I’d be using a 9 by 13 pan as well instead of 2 loaf pans 🙂
Can I substitute oatmeal for breadcrumbs?
I have made this many times before and got into the habit of adding on the topping the last 10 ninutes of cooking. I like that the top of the meatloaf has a bit of crust to it underneath the topping.
If I double it should I cook it longer?
Made this before and it was loved by all! Question … if I freeze it in aluminum loaf pans, what would cook time be from frozen?
The best recipe I have ever used, I love it. Sure is a winner
Easy to make and Taste great 👍🏻
I’m not a Meatloaf fan , I’m one now!
This is the BEST meatloaf. My 8 and 10 year olds ate half of the loaf and they are skinny little girls! This recipe joins my other favorites written in my ( B.H.&G) old cookbook. Only the best deserve a spot in that 55 year old book. I’ll be reading through your site to hopefully find others to join the favs.
This recipe was delicious. I didn’t have dried breadcrumbs, so I used a couple of leftover hotdog buns. I used my blender to make them into crumbs. Because I didn’t have dried breadcrumbs, I didn’t use any milk. I also doubled the recipe, using 1 lb of ground beef and 1 lb of ground pork. It was the best meatloaf I’ve ever enjoyed. Thanks so much for sharing!
If I do two pounds how long should I bake for
Delicious with a great texture – not heavy like some meatloafs. My new favorite meatloaf recipe!