Best Meatloaf Recipe (Tender & Juicy)

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Easy Meatloaf: Basic Pantry Ingredients

One of the best parts about this classic meatloaf recipe is that you can prepare it with basic pantry ingredients that you likely already have on hand. It’s a great way to use up the ground beef in your freezer.

These basic pantry ingredients are all you’ll need for the perfect weeknight dinner:

1. The base of this easy meatloaf is, you guessed it, ground beef. You’ll need 2 pounds of 85-90% lean ground beef.
2. The sautéed chopped onion and garlic paired with salt, pepper, and thyme will add a new dimension to the recipe. Toasting the thyme with the onion and garlic highlights its flavor.
3. To hold it all together, create a binder using eggs and breadcrumbs.
4. The added Worcestershire sauce and beef broth will give you a moist meatloaf recipe every time! 
5. Brown sugar, coarse mustard, and ketchup come together to create the tangy special sauce. Add some as your simple meatloaf bakes, but make sure to save a some for serving.

More to Eat

• Teriyaki Meatloaf – tender, juicy, and full of umami flavor. It’s amazing with fluffy rice.
• BBQ Turkey Meatloaf – uses barbecue sauce instead of ketchup for robust results.
• Garlic Marinated Ribeye Steaks – melt-in-your-mouth tender and bursting with garlicky goodness in every bite.
• BBQ Baked Ribs – succulent baked ribs that fall off the bone; you won’t believe you made this in the oven.

The Best Meatloaf Recipe

4.59 from 24 ratings

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The secret in this classic juicy meatloaf recipe is in the tangy and savory sauce added to the meatloaf as it bakes as well as for serving. It also comes together with basic pantry ingredients that you likely already have at home! The results are juicy, tender, and moist – the perfect weeknight dinner idea.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 TB Worcestershire sauce
• 2 TB brown sugar, packed
• 2 TB mustard, coarse stone ground
• ⅔ cup ketchup
• 2 eggs, large, beaten
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup bread crumbs, dry, seasoned or plain (your choice)
• 2 lbs ground beef

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on middle position. Place large pan of water on lower rack underneath.
• In a large heavy saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add a pinch of kosher salt, pinch of pepper, and the thyme. Saute 30 seconds more, and transfer to large bowl.
• Add 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, beef broth, and bread crumbs. Whisk by hand to combine ingredients. Add ground beef and stir with wooden spoon until fully combined.
• Form beef mixture into a loaf (roughly 2x5x8) in a larger baking dish.
• In a bowl, combine brown sugar, coarse mustard, and ketchup. Pour half of this sauce over the meatloaf.
• Bake about 50 minutes. Brush on more sauce, reserving a little for serving, if desired. Bake 10 more minutes or until meatloaf is cooked through.
• Let meatloaf sit at room temp about 10 minutes before cutting into it. Serve, and drizzle with any leftover sauce.

Equipment

• Meatloaf Pan Set

Notes

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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 429mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 4mg

Course: Dinner, Main

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Method: Oven