This is the best meatloaf recipe you will ever make! I’ve been making this meatloaf for my family for over a decade and it’s always a huge hit. Meatloaf is classic comfort food and this recipe is a no-fail, never fall apart, juicy and delicious dinner. The best meatloaf recipe ever.
Best Meatloaf Recipe
I’ve always liked meatloaf, whether it be with a delicious glaze or with mashed potatoes and brown gravy. I’ve ditched the meatloaf seasoning packet and progressed past the egg, onion, bread crumb classic, and graduated to this amazing meatloaf supper. I originally found it in my Cook’s Illustrated newsletter.
This meatloaf is always a huge hit. Fabulous flavor, smells awesome while cooking, and everyone loves it. A definite keeper with a permanent home on my master list of ground beef dinner ideas!
Ingredients for the Best Meatloaf
The list of ingredients with their measurements are listed at the end in the printable recipe card. Below are my notes and substitution suggestions.
- Monterey Jack cheese, grated on small holes of a box grater, but Mozzarella will work just as well.
- Butter, margarine will work too.
- Vidalia onion is my favorite, but yellow onion works as well.
- Celery and fresh garlic are minced up and cooked with the onion.
- If you don’t have fresh thyme leaves you can substitute 3/4 teaspoon of dried thyme instead.
- Regular paprika is fine, but smoked paprika would add a fun flavor element!
- I always have those little cans of tomato juice, but if you don’t you can literally squeeze some juice from a fresh tomato or buy the can and freeze the leftovers. Another option is to make a Bloody Mary!
- I prefer unsalted low-sodium chicken broth, but you could use vegetable broth or beef broth instead.
- For binders, you will need large eggs and some unflavored gelatin powder.
- Added flavor comes from the soy sauce and Dijon mustard. I wouldn’t substitute the mustard, but you could use Worcestershire sauce in place of the soy sauce. They have a different flavor profile, but for this recipe, it will totally work.
- Instead of bread crumbs, I use crushed saltine crackers. Could you use bread crumbs? Sure, I don’t see why not.
- Fresh parsley leaves are very inexpensive, usually around a dollar at the grocery store. I would suggest using fresh if you can instead of the dried variety. If you must use dried, measure out half of what the recipe calls for.
- Regular table salt and freshly ground black pepper are used for seasoning.
- I’ve found that a combination of ground sirloin and ground beef chuck work best.
Ingredients for the glaze:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Recipe Tips:
- Just a note about choosing your ground beef. You’ll notice in the printable recipe that I suggest both ground sirloin and ground chuck. This has been my favorite combination, but you can use one type of ground beef with a fat content of roughly 85/15. You want some fat for juiciness and flavor, but not too much that it’s a greasy mess. In addition, meat with too high of a fat content will shrink, a lot.
- Don’t over mix the meat, it will make your meatloaf tough. Use a fork, or a wooden spoon, but only mix until everything comes together, you don’t want to compact it and smash it all together. A few squeezes at the end with your hands will help bind the proteins. This will help the meatloaf stay together so it won’t fall apart when cooked.
- I use a meatloaf pan with a drip insert. If you haven’t heard of one of these, and you like to make meatloaf, you should have one. It’s basically an 8×4 loaf pan, but there’s an additional insert pan with drain holes that you place inside the main pan. The meat cooks in the pan with the drain holes, this allows the fat to drip down away from the meat, landing in the pan below. There’s one at Amazon here
, I’ve had mine for several years.
- Run a butter knife around the edges, assuming you used the pan I mention above, especially if there’s any fat that pooled around the top and didn’t drip down. This sometimes happens as the meat cooks, it blocks the crevice along the side. Just jimmy the knife around the loaf and let the fat fall down the side of it so it can drain.
How to Make Delicious Meatloaf
- Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread cheese on plate and place it in the freezer until ready to use.
- Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until foaming; add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and paprika and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add tomato juice. Cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from the pan, until thickened, about 1 minute.
- Transfer mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
- Whisk broth and eggs in large bowl until combined. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, mustard, saltines, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion mixture.
- Crumble frozen cheese into coarse powder and sprinkle over mixture. Add ground beef; mix gently with hands (I used a wooden spoon, a fork works well too, just don’t over mix it) until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
- Shape meat mixture into a loaf, or use a loaf pan with a removable draining bottom like mine. Brush with glaze.
- Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of loaf reads 135 to 140 degrees, 55 to 65 minutes. See my note #6 above if you are using a meatloaf pan. Remove meatloaf from oven.
- Let meatloaf cool about 20 minutes before slicing.
Leftover meatloaf is one of my favorite things. I can’t wait to have some for lunch tomorrow on two slices of white bread with some mayo.
More Comfort Food Recipes
- If you’re like me and you love comfort food, you will want to try my Italian Lasagna and Beef Stroganoff.
- If you’re looking for a side dish for this meatloaf recipe, try my homemade stovetop mac and cheese or my Crockpot mashed potatoes.
- Scalloped potatoes are also a delicious choice.
The Best Meatloaf Recipe Ever
Meatloaf is classic comfort food and this recipe is a no-fail, never fall apart, juicy and delicious dinner. The best meatloaf recipe ever.
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItServings: 10 slices
1 hour 40 minutes
Calories: 328
Ingredients
- 3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese grated on small holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion chopped fine
- ½ cup celery chopped fine (about 1 stalk)
- 1 clove garlic minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves or 3/4 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup tomato juice
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin powdered
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅔ cup crushed saltine crackers
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1 pound ground beef chuck
Glaze
- ½ cup Ketchup
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
Before You Begin
- I suggest both ground sirloin and ground chuck, but you can use one type of ground beef with a fat content of roughly 85/15. You want some fat for juiciness and flavor, but not too much that it's a greasy mess. In addition, meat with too high of a fat content will shrink, a lot.
- Don't over mix the meat, it will make your meatloaf tough. Use a fork, or a wooden spoon, but only mix until everything comes together, you don't want to compact it and smash it all together. A few squeezes at the end with your hands will help bind the proteins. This will help the meatloaf stay together so it won't fall apart when cooked.
- I use a meatloaf pan with a drip insert. If you haven't heard of one of these, and you like to make meatloaf, you should have one. It's basically an 8x4 loaf pan, but there's an additional insert pan with drain holes that you place inside the main pan. The meat cooks in the pan with the drain holes, this allows the fat to drip down away from the meat, landing in the pan below. There's one at Amazon here
- Run a butter knife around the edges, assuming you used the pan I mention above, especially if there's any fat that pooled around the top and didn't drip down. This sometimes happens as the meat cooks, it blocks the crevice along the side. Just jimmy the knife around the loaf and let the fat fall down the side of it so it can drain.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread cheese on plate and place in freezer until ready to use.
- Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until foaming; add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and paprika and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add tomato juice. Cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan, until thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to small bowl and set aside to cool.
- Whisk broth and eggs in large bowl until combined. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, mustard, saltines, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion mixture. Crumble frozen cheese into coarse powder and sprinkle over mixture. Add ground beef; mix gently with hands (I used a wooden spoon, a fork works well too, just don’t over mix it) until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
- Shape meat mixture into a loaf, or use a loaf pan with a removable draining bottom like mine.
- Spread half of the glaze over the meatloaf then put in the oven. After 40 minutes in the oven, remove and add remaining glaze. Put back in the oven and cook additional 15-20 minutes. (Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loaf reads 135 to 140 degrees, about 55 to 65 minutes.)
- Let meat loaf cool about 20 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 328cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 581mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 458IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 3mg
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This post was originally published on this blog on Feb 2, 2010.
Amanda Davis
President at Amanda's Creative Studio, Inc.
Amanda Davis is the entrepreneurial mom of four grown children and four step children. She and her husband, Chef Antoine, love to cook together creating recipes for this blog. Amanda also make kid's crafts and creates decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years. She is also a craft book author five times over and product developer as well as the owner of FunFamilyCrafts.com. You can find her on social media by using the buttons to the left!
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Marlene says
The gelatin is to replace the natural gelatin that is lost when using veal. Since you didn’t use veal, gelatin is an unnecessary ingredient. Though, you are right, it will further act as a binder too.
Marlene says
Oh and to clarify, it’s veal that would be in meatloaf mix that you get from the grocery store. This recipe was their mimic not using the meatloaf mix.
Bella says
Hola! ;) Yo use Worcestershire sauce en lugar de la soy sauce. No use la gelatina en polvo, ni tampoco el jugo de tomate. Use tomato paste y un poquito de Ketchup sauce. Use dry thyme. Ah y yo si hice la glaze, fue lo mejor! Me quedo deliciosa. Muchas gracias por la recetita. Saludos!
Sarah Jo says
I made a few minor changes (like using beef broth instead of chicken broth and I DID use the “topping) but they were very minor. I did bake this in the Perfect Meatloaf Pan. Though I did bake it a little longer than recipe stated, mine was still a little red in the middle so I had to microwave the pieces a little. That made no difference in flavor. This is one of the best meatloafs I’ve ever had. My oldest son ate two big pieces! I’ll make this again but I’ll make sure to bake it a little longer. This way I don’t lose any of the topping. NOTE: Have you had issues with the middle not being completely done when you bake it in the Perfect Meatloaf Pan?
Amanda says
A couple of tips that I’ve learned after making this several times :) First, don’t packed the meat too tightly. Place all the meat into the pan, then gently form the loaf with your hands. Another thing to consider is to make sure when you place the meatloaf into the oven that you don’t leave it toward the front. The oven is hotter toward the back, so make sure it’s at least in the center. After the baking time, let it rest under a tent of foil for about 10-15 minutes. The loaf will continue to cook while its resting. You can certainly add more time to the cooking time as each oven is different. If you notice the edges getting too done you can cover it with foil in the last 15-20 minutes, which will also help keep heat from escaping, allowing it to cook more in the middle. So glad you enjoyed this as much as we do!
Amanda says
So glad you enjoyed it! One of these days I'll have to get a better picture LOL
Anonymous says
Amanda/Haley,
I made this today with just ground turkey and it was just to die for…my family agreed, it's the best we've ever had. We also had it in the evening as sandwiches with mayo and BBQ sauce…mmmmm, good! Thanks Amanda…it's definitely a keeper..
Amanda says
Haley – haha! it's definitely good cold on a sandwich with mayo, yum! i haven't tried turkey but I'm sure it would be good. You could try a combination of turkey and lean ground beef. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Haley says
Amanda,
Have you used ground turkey in this recipe at all? I'm wondering what I can substitute to make it a little lighter without sacrificing taste. Also, my fiancee took leftovers with him to work today and all of the other guys were jealous! :)
Amanda says
So glad you like it Haley! I have made it countless times and have made adjustments for what I've had on hand too. :)
Haley says
I made this meatloaf for my fiancee last night for dinner. It was so good. He said it was better than his Grandmother's!!
I only left out the celery.
Jay says
Love meatloaf of every kind, with Greek being a family favourite. I've never use a loaf pan though, I just free form my meat loaf on my broiler pan. Works like a charm and you get an all-around lovely crust which my family prefers. Thanks for posting your meatloaf recipe Amada, another one for my file!
Amanda says
:( I can't imagine what else might have caused it. The only other thing I can think of is liquid. Did you use zucchini like I did? If yes, did you squeeze the excess liquid out of it? If you over measured any liquids, or added anything that wasn't in the recipe (like ketchup or anything else) that could have caused it too. Also, slicing too thin could be a problem!
mrs_aah says
The only difference is I almost forgot the cheese, so I added it after all the other ingredients were already combined. Lol
Amanda says
mrs aah – Hmm, I'm not sure, did you make any substitutions? What about the eggs, you didn't accidentally leave them out did you? Let me know if you made any changes, maybe we can troubleshoot it! :)
mrs_aah says
First of all, this meatloaf tasted magnificent. My only issue, (and I'm sure it was something that I did wrong) was that it didn't stay together well! For some reason, mine was all crumbles. Do you have any idea what I did wrong? Thanks
Amanda says
Thanks Kaukab's daughter! I need to add this back into my recipe rotation, it's that time of year again!
mymotherstable says
I love your meatloaf recipe. I'm beginning to collect them. Not sure why. I've become enamored by meatloaf and searching for a great recipe.
Kaukab's daughter
Megan says
Your sending all these wonderful Fall recipes and I cant wait for the chilly nights and the smell of this meatloaf. I am a glaze kind of girl and this is right up my alley! Thanks Amanda for another great recipe!
Scott K says
Looks wonderful!
Cajun Chef Ryan says
Wow, meatloaf and lasagna in one day? Looks like another winner Amanda!
Bon appetit!
=:~)
Sandi says
That looks fantastic! Can hardly wait to try it!!
Thanks for sharing :)