Traditional Homemade Meatloaf

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4.89 from 27 votes

Traditional Homemade Meatloaf

This easy meatloaf recipe is juicy, flavorful, and topped with a caramelized shiny glaze.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Homemade Meatloaf, Meatloaf Recipe, Traditional Meatloaf

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Resting Time 10

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 282

Author Erren Hart

Ingredients

For the meatloaf:

1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup milk or water plus more if needed
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 large onion chopped
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water
2 lb ground beef 80-85% lean
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Bell's Seasoning* optional
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
freshly grated black pepper to taste

For The Glaze:

¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F
In a small mixing bowl stir together bread crumbs and milk until they are fully moistened. Allow to soak while sautéing the onion.
Sauté the onions in oil or butter until soft. Set aside to cool.
In a small mixing bowl mix ½ teaspoon baking soda with a tablespoon of water to form a slurry.
Add the beef to a large bowl and pour over the baking soda mixture before adding the moistened breadcrumbs, eggs, cooled onions, parsley, ketchup, Bell's Seasoning, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands until everything is just combined (trying not to over-mix).
Transfer the meat mixture to a roasting pan lined with nonstick foil (or parchment paper) Form into a loaf shape pressing with your hands.
In a smaller bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the glaze. Spread evenly over the top.
Bake the meatloaf for 55 minutes or until it has an internal temperature of 160°F.
Allow to rest 10 minutes (lightly tented with foil to keep it hot) before serving.

Notes

* Bell’s seasoning is a seasoning mixture that contains Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Ginger, Marjoram, Thyme, and Pepper. It can be found on Amazon.com (As an Amazon Associate, a small commission is made from qualifying purchases), and in many American supermarkets.

Before forming the meatloaf, it’s worth taking the extra time to taste test your mixture by making a mini hamburger patty and pan-frying it in some olive oil until fully cooked. Then give it a taste. It should taste delicious! If it doesn’t, it probably needs salt. Season the raw mixture and repeat if you want to be 100% sure.
Don’t overmix – Mix until just combined. Overmixing will make the loaf dry and dense. If in doubt, mix the wet ingredients together before adding to the meat. This will help lessen mixing times.
Avoid using a loaf pan to make your meatloaf. A tight fit causes steaming instead of roasting. Use a roasting pan, leaving some extra room to allow it to crisp up nicely.
Let it rest. Just like roast beef, it’s important to let meatloaf rest for at least 10 minutes (loosely covered with foil to keep it hot) before slicing. This helps the loaf set easier slicing and, locks in the juices.

Nutrition