Everybody needs an easy classic meatloaf recipe like your grandmother would make from memory. Just follow these easy step by step photos for some great old fashion comfort food.
Editor’s Note: This is a completely redone post from the second month of this blog. Originally published on February 17, 2010. I was using an early Kodac digital camera that was beyond it’s prime; my writing was bad and blogging skills minimal. Everything has been updated except the recipe itself.
We enjoy this meatloaf at least monthly. Please enjoy one of our standard recipes.
This is my wife’s standard meatloaf, and the only variation is that I actually measured things so I could publish this.
My Rating
Nothing less than a five will do. I do love meatloaf, and I’m very picky.
Pro Tips: Recipe Notes on Easy Meatloaf
What is Meatloaf?
Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been mixed with other ingredients. During the Great Depression, meatloaf was a way for families to stretch their budget by using inexpensive ground meat and leftover ingredients like bread or cereal. It is then formed into the shape of a loaf, then baked.
When a starch like bread or grains are combined with an added liquid that forms a “panade” which is then added to ground meat and keeps the results moist.
The number of ingredients
I have eight, and I can remember them. The reason this recipe is so easy is that the seasoning salt and ketchup provides the spicing and taste. So the quality of those ingredients becomes important.
For the ketchup, I only recommend Hunts or Heinz. Please do not use generic or your taste buds will pay the price. While I claim some expertise in ketchup, the seasoning salt is up to you, but Lowery’s is my choice.
As per my usual habit, I checked other recipes. It is just what I do, but I had my recipe after years of perfection.
To my horror, almost all of them had 15-20 ingredients. Meatloaf should be fast, wipe it together in 5 minutes meal. Even if you had all 20 ingredients without the trip to the store, it would still take 30 minutes to get everything out and measured. MY GOD… how stupid. I have 8… I can remember that.
Other Meatloaf Options.
There should be two eggs in the picture.
Preheat oven to 375. Spray shallow baking dish with PAM.
Chop a medium onion.
In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients minus 1/4 cup of ketchup for topping. Mix well, being sure not to leave any chunks of burger not mixed. I use clean hands for this. Officially, use a wooden spoon.
Place in baking pan and cover top with ketchup.
Place in the preheated oven and cook to an internal temperature of 165 — about 1 hour.
Remove from the pan for serving.
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Old Fashion Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 egg - see recipe notes below
- 1 onion - medium - minced
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup ketchup - divided 1/2 cup plus about 1/4 cup on top
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Lawry's Seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Spray shallow baking dish with PAM
- In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients together. Mix well, be sure not to leave any chunks of burger not mixed. I use clean hands for this. Officially use a wooden spoon.
- Place in baking pan and cover top with ketchup.
- Place in oven and cook to 165 internal temperature (about 1 hour).
- Remove from oven. Move to a serving plate.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Cheap ketchup would probably spoil this, so I always use Hunt's or Heinz.
- This is a very easy recipe to adjust. If you are using less than 1 1/2 pounds of ground meat, then use one egg. Use two whole eggs if bigger.
- I like to use a 7-8 inch spatula to remove the meatloaf from the pan.
- Reheats well in a microwave when cut into slices but good cold for sandwiches.
- You can cut this recipe down, but we usually do about 2 pounds since the leftovers are great.
- Lots of handwashing, please. We have raw ground meat and eggs, so the risk of contamination is relatively high.
Check Out Other Great Recipes
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally Published February 17, 2010
Larry Emmons
What size baking pan do you use for the 2 pounds of ground beef old fashioned meatloaf recipe?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Larry,
Welcome to the blog.
For 2 pounds, it fits in a 6 by 9 well. If you are making bigger, it won’t fit. Also, “too big” is fine since it holds its shape well.
Dan
Lou Ann
Thank you…just like mom’s 🙌😀
Debra
I like this recipe for my husband and I I also threw in a quarter cup of diced jalapenos. Always looking for recipes for two
Philip Dally
This is really good! Imixed everything together, placed it in the casserole dish and let it sit for a couple hours to let all the ingredients get to know one another before tossing it on my pellet grill set at 375 for an hour.
I would feel comfortable using a large loaf pan for this. The particular pan I used caused a darker edge that I think would be eliminated with a smaller pan and let the meatloaf be a little thicker.
Don’t forget to grease the pan.
YUM!!
KJill
Sometimes the classics are the best! Very good basic recipe, I do like to add a little Worcestershire sauce as my mother does. I try to use very lean beef but I also just form meatloaf in a sort of long mound (or mounds) on a rimmed baking sheet so it isn’t sitting in any fat that cooks out. The bread and ketchup topping help keep it moist and I have never had a problem with dry meatloaf.
DrDan
Agreed, classics are best for things like this. I use lower fat frequently and just be sure not to short the bread crumbs.
Dan
Janie
Hi Dr. Dan, what size pan do you use to make this? Your Goulash recipe was excellent! I will be making it again soon. Thank you
DrDan
Hi Janie,
Sorry for the delayed reply.
The baking dish san be almost any size. The meatloaf if formed up and holds it shape. You should try to keep the thickness under 2 inches since it will be difficult to get the center to 165.
Having said the above, for a two pounder something in the 10X6 range works well. I usually use corning ware an that is about 10X7
Dan
Donna
Can not wait to have meatloaf sandwiches tomorrow night! I ran out of ketchup and didn’t have enough for the topping. We did use store-bought BBQ sauce as a dipping sauce. Didn’t have fresh onions, so used dried minced onion. Used Panko bread crumbs. I also only had a pound of hamburger, but still used a whole organic egg (local chicken raiser). Amazing meatloaf! Will definitely be making this again, but using 2 pounds of hamburger! And will have the baked red potatoes as a side dish.
Linda Miller
Have you tried a tablespoon of Worcester sauce? It really kicks the flavor up a notch. I have made this many times and Worcester is the only addition I have used.
Nancy L
I have been making your meatloaf for a couple years now! I have it saved on pinterest and continue to return to it because it’s easy and I actually liked the old post as it made me laugh whenever I read it! Thanks for keeping this recipe up and updating it. Will be making again this weekend. Thank your wife also for such a simple and tasty recipe. Everyone loves this stuff!
Dale
Great meatloaf. I used a cup of crushed butter garlic croutons in place of the bread crumbs. Worked perfect. Going to try a thinner dish next time for more of that crispy edge.
DrDan
Hi Dale,
Thanks for the note. I do love simple everyday comfort food like this. Really this is a base recipe so change around whatever you want and it will probably work great.
Dan
Karen
Getting ready to make this again. I’ve made it over and over; the only meatloaf recipe I use!
DrDan
Thanks Karen,
It is one of our go-to meals. Great comfort food once or twice a month. I do admit to cheating and using premade bread crumb frequently.
Dan
Judy Uhl
This is our favorite meatloaf!! Very good!
DrDan
Mine too. I have a Paula Deen recipe that is more popular but this is much better and simpler.
Thanks for the comment.
Dan
Ernestine Banycky
Yum a keeper will make this many times 😌
Dan Mikesell
That is 80/20 ground beef. I usually do not buy the meat labeled “hamburger”. Ground beef just has the fat in that piece of meat. Hamburger can have any beef fat trimmed elsewhere added.
I frequently buy a better (read lower fat) meat which works great here since the bread/milk keeps the whole think moist.
Heather Watson
Do you use 80/20 hamburger?