Down Home Meatloaf
- SERVES
- 6
- COOK TIME
- 50 Min
It's back-to-school season and that means we're all little stressed. When you need a little extra comfort in your life, a classic and hearty dish like our Down Home Meatloaf is just the trick. Share this great dinner dish with all of your loved ones to make it even more extra-special. Nothing says "Welcome home, kids!" like this family-favorite recipe.
What You'll Need
- 1 1/2 pound ground beef
- 3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs (see Note)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
What to Do
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, eggs, onion, sage, salt, and pepper; mix well. Place in loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and spread over top of meat mixture.
- Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until no pink remains. Allow to stand 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Mr. Food Test Kitchen Tips!
- This is a soft meatloaf, so if you like yours a bit firmer, use 1 cup bread crumbs instead of 3/4 cup.
- Looking for more easy meatloaf recipes? Then you'll love our collection, How to Make Meatloaf: 17 of Our Best Meatloaf Recipes.
- Plus, check out our Favorite Ground Beef Casserole!
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bonitageri 7821379
Sep 08, 2020
If you put a slice or two of bread under the meatloaf before baking, the bread absorbs the grease and you don't have the loaf swimming in grease.
jynx
Sep 10, 2015
This is a great recipe! I was also wondering if I were to use ground turkey instead of the ground beef what changes would I need to make?
Test Kitchen Team
Sep 11, 2015
If you want to make this recipe with ground turkey, we'd suggest increasing the sage to 3/4 tsp, pepper to 1/4 tsp, and salt to 1-1/2 tsp.
douglasdherbert
Jun 29, 2015
I, like so many others, make it very similar with small changes. I would like to add one that I think a great many would like. For the topping, and a small amount in the meat mixture, I use the jarred Chili sauce you can buy. I think most of the brands are very similar, so I do not use a specific one. It can be added to the sauce or can be used to replace parts of it, but if you try it, I think you will find it that added little boost, especially to the topping sauce.
douglasdherbert
Jun 29, 2015
I should have added that a lot of the companies call it sweet chili sauce
bj7of8 3171629
Apr 06, 2015
I have made this recipe for many years, it was handed down to me from my Mother-in-law in the early 60's and I have passed it on to many.
racxray806 5575843
Sep 11, 2014
I make one very similar except I top with the catsup,brown sugar, mustard the last 10 minutes of baking.
donafaye 9691958
Sep 11, 2014
This is almost like the recipe I have made for 56 years. Instead of dry bread crumbs I use 3 to 4 slices of soft bread and add the dry mustard to the meat mixture. The milk doesn't make it with too much tomato flavor for those that can't eat the tomatoes. I cover with foil and the last few minutes put BBQ sauce over it and let it brown for a few minutes.
sarabauer 8165291
Jul 03, 2014
This is so good and so easy to make I used 91% beef and still alot to drain off I also used balsamic ketchup very tasty this is a keeper also one cup of breadcrumbs and still very moist
quickmeals6
Jul 07, 2013
i made this meat loaf for dinner tonight, just as the recipe said, It turned out very good. Had ecellent flavor, This will be my meat loaf recipe when cooking meat loaf.
lasgemelas21 83032 70
Jul 07, 2013
I AM FROM PUERTO RICO, I MADE IT FOR ALL MY FAMILY VERY GOOD. THEY LIKE IT. THANKS.
dkjividen
Apr 17, 2013
best one I ever made was with 1/2 lb. hamburger, 1/2 lb italian sausage , and 1/2 lb venison. then all the other normal stuff.
lincolndl 8824852
Jan 24, 2013
I pretty much followed the recipe but used 2/3C of oatmeal instead of the bread crumbs and about 1 1/2C shredded mild cheddar cheese. That tamed down the milk and firmed up the loaf a bit. It's in the oven now for supper so we'll see how things come out. My son wants wide noodles and steamed carrots as the go-alongs. (I always have trouble deciding on what to serve with main dishes, so welcome his input.) Lastly, I added 4 strips of bacon across the top of the loaf - - who doesn't love bacon, right? We always add more ketchup/BBQ sauce to the slices when served so I don't put any sauce on until it's done cooking.
Dawn 5077626
Nov 13, 2012
I rarely use eggs in my meatloaf and never use milk, as it is too wet and soft for our taste; substitute some steak sauce or worcestershire instead. I sometimes used crushed crackers (saltines, ritz, etc...) in p/o bread crumbs and cut salt down. I like to mix up and use a variety of seasonings everytime I make it. Add crumbled bacon and some shredded cheese to your meat mixture and spread BBQ sauce on top.
grumpy
Jul 06, 2013
I also cut down on the salt. A lot of recipes have more salt than is needed. If someome wants more salt, that is what the shaker is on the table for.
mary hlav
Jul 04, 2012
Instead of milk I use a can of cream of mushroom soup plus a small packet of brown gravy mix and instead of bread crumbs I use oatmeal.
ambhandyman 094362 3
Jul 23, 2011
There are a couple of things to add some more flavor to this recipe. Use Italian Bread Crumbs and instead of catsup use BBQ sauce
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