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How to make the best tender and juicy Meatloaf with a delicious, shiny glaze! Cheap, easy and quick to prepare, let the oven do all the work for you!
Look no further for the best Meatloaf recipe because it’s right here! Juicy and flavourful on the inside, with a caramelised shiny glaze on the outside, is what makes this classic Meatloaf a winning centre piece on any dining table.
We all love a classic Pork Roast or Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken but when I make this meatloaf, the whole family goes crazy! Plus, you can take advantage of leftovers and turn them into juicy meatloaf sandwiches!
MEATLOAF RECIPE
Meat lovers… rejoice! Finally, a meatloaf recipe that is guaranteed to come out perfectly juicy, and NOT at all dry, hard, chewy or tasteless. It feels like all of my dreams have come true when slicing into this loaf.
What better way to serve a thick slice of meatloaf than on a pile of Creamy Mashed Potato or Mashed Cauliflower for a low calorie option? Mix any remaining sauce with leftover pan juices, then pour that sacred rich, sauce ALL over your meatloaf.
HOW TO MAKE MEATLOAF
There are a couple of things we do differently from other meatloaf recipes, which is what makes this meatloaf stand out from the rest:
- Instead of using breadcrumbs, we use bread slices soaked in milk which is what guarantees a juicy, tender loaf. We use a similar method in our Mozzarella Meatballs.
- We sauté onion and garlic together WHILE the bread is soaking to enhance their flavours before mixing them into the meat. Doing this guarantees soft onion pieces with every bite, while infusing the perfect amount of garlic flavour into the meat while baking. You COULD also grate your onion and garlic cloves to save time sautéing, but we find cooking them yields the best results.
- Everything gets mixed together in the same bowl as the soaked bread to minimise clean up.
EASY MIXTURE
We add three different ingredients to our meatloaf for ultimate flavour:
- Tomato paste
- Dijon mustard
- Parmesan cheese
You can leave them out if you have doubts, but I suggest following this recipe as closely as possible.
HOW TO SHAPE YOUR LOAF
There are a couple of options here. You can either:
- Dump your meat mixture onto a baking sheet or oven tray and mould it into a loaf shape yourself, which can take some time to try and achieve even thickness and roundness for even cooking.
- Bake it in a loaf pan: If you go this option, beware you may have soggy edges instead of crisp edges as the loaf cooks in its own juices.
- Our preferred method: Mould it in a loaf pan, then turn the loaf out onto a broiler pan (oven grill pan). This way guarantees even cooking and crisp edges. Use a drip pan underneath and save all drippings.
If choosing option three, be sure not to press the loaf too hard into the base of the pan, or you may have a hard time getting it out intact! Mould it just enough to get its shape, then turn it out. So much easier than shaping it yourself!
MEATLOAF SAUCE
This glaze has the perfect tasty balance. Not too sweet, not too tart with a subtle hint of garlic. Half is spread over the loaf before baking, and then half of the remaining sauce is added on during baking, saving the rest for serving over your pile of mash!
HOW LONG TO COOK MEATLOAF
Your meatloaf will need to cook at 400°F (200°C) for 50 minutes. Then, you are going to spread a little more meatloaf sauce over the top and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the glaze is nice and sticky.
Let your meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to recirculate back into the meat. If you’re tempted to slice it straight out of the oven, you will find it may fall apart as it is super tender. Tent it with foil while resting to keep it warm.
CAN YOU FREEZE MEATLOAF?
Yes! You can make meatloaf ahead of time and freeze before cooking. Once the meatloaf mixture has been shaped in your loaf pan, cover loaf pan tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and then freeze. Defrost raw, frozen meatloaf in the refrigerator for 18-24 hours before baking in the oven.
OR, freeze AFTER cooking! When cooked, allow to cool completely and freeze in individual slices wrapped in parchment or baking paper to keep them juicy. Place all slices in an airtight container or freezer bag, and reheat slices as you need them! Reheat semi-thawed slices in the oven or microwave.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH MEATLOAF
If mashed potatoes aren’t your scene, you can also pair your meatloaf with Crispy Garlic Butter Parmesan Smashed Potatoes, Buttery Sautéed Green Beans, Fried Cabbage and a slice of crust Artisan Bread.
MORE BEEF RECIPES
Chili Mac (Ground Beef Recipe)
Beef Bourguignon (Julia Child Recipe)
Sesame Beef Stir Fry
The BEST Meatloaf NOW ON VIDEO! Watch us make it to help you in the kitchen!
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Meatloaf
Ingredients
Meatloaf:
- 4 slices bread ripped up into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground beef mince regular or lean
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese please use fresh
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 3 level tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Glaze:
- 3/4 cup ketchup Australian tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 4 tablespoons cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (or 200°C). Lightly grease a broiler pan (oven grill pan), or regular baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, soak bread slices in the milk, pressing them down with your fingers. Allow to soak while sautéing the onion.
- Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat and sauté the onion until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté for a further 30 seconds until fragrant. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
- Mash the soaked bread with a fork to break up large pieces. Add in the onion/garlic, beef, parmesan, eggs, parsley, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until everything is just combined (try not to over-mix).
- Scoop meat mixture into a loaf pan, pressing down lightly to form into a loaf shape. Turn out onto prepared tray.
- In a smaller bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the glaze. Spread half of the sauce evenly over the top; reserve the renaming sauce for later.
- Bake the meatloaf for 50 minutes, then spread half of the remaining sauce over the top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Mix any pan juices with the remaining sauce to serve!
- Serve with creamy mashed potatoes/cauliflower and/or steamed vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks and sounds fantastic! Do you think it would turn out good if I used ground chicken or turkey instead of beef? Trying to cut out beef. Thank you! I love your recipes!
Absolutely, Jackie! You’re perfectly fine. The flavors might vary slightly, but it’s the main idea that truly matters. You’ll achieve a chicken meatloaf. Happy cooking!
I have not made this recipe yet but want to in a couple of days. Just wondering if you have to use white bread. Can it be subbed with wheat or brioche or even cubed stuffing mix?
Sure Debbie! You can use a variety of bread types when making meatloaf, depending on the flavor and texture you’re aiming for. Bread in meatloaf acts as a binding agent and helps keep it moist, so alternatives to the usual white or sandwich bread can still work wonders. Happy cooking!
Love this recipe so did my husband. I know the recipe said one onion finely chopped.Would this be equal to one cup of chopped onion?
4 years of making this with zero desire to find another meatloaf recipe!
Samesies, it’s perfect. I add a little Cajun seasoning when serving and my husband loves it.
This meatloaf was amazing! I have tried many, many recipes and this will now be my go to! Idid cut the recipe in half and baked 30 minutes….perfecto! Can’t wait until tomorrow for the leftovers! Thank you so much for thr recipe!
Couldn’t fairly rate the recipe, because of alterations I made, so I just gave it 5 stars. I didn’t feel like messing with bread so I just used panko bread crumbs soaked with the milk. I used 1/2 cup of panko and 1/2 cup of milk. This was too wet, should have done at least 1 cup of panko to 1/2 cup milk. This made the texture of the meatloaf less than desirable. Also I did not use any onion or onion powder as I cannot stand the taste. The sauce made a lot of sauce way too much in my opinion and I agree with some others that said the sauce was too vinegary. Overall this meatloaf took quite a bit of work, for a meat loaf, and many ingredients, that I bought just for making this recipe, and although it was edible we didn’t really like it. I specifically chose this recipe because it had so many other ingredients that I hoped it would make up for the lack of onions. I won’t be making this again. It just wasn’t good enough to be worth it for us.
SAM, try this as posted (using the fresh bread, NOT dry breadcrumbs). The FRESH bread does make a difference!! Adding any desired seasonings.
BEST Meatloaf in the history of the universe ! 5000 stars!
Made this tonight with a few changes. Did not have apple cider vinegar so just omitted. Used Brown Spicy Mustard instead of Dijon. Added three slices of bacon on top after the first glazing then just glazed over the bacon. Split the meat into two loafs and they cooked evenly. Thank you again for another hit recipe.
Will never use another meatloaf recipe again! The soaked bread slices made it so moist. Perfect blend of ingredients for the glaze. Thank you!!
best mearloaf i the history of the unierse!
sorry for misspelling! thisi an aweson awesome meatloaf. best ever<