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Best Homemade Meatloaf
This homemade meatloaf recipe blows everything you thought you knew about meatloaf out of the water! It’s downright drool worthy, succulently moist (thanks to my expert tips), seeping with garlic, herb, buttery Ritz cracker, cheddar goodness, all smothered with sweet and tangy, caramelized barbecue ketchup glaze. This recipe is easy to make, make-ahead friendly, economical, and guaranteed to become a family treasure. Serve it up with a side of mashed potatoes, along with garden salad or apple salad and sweet cornbread for a modern spin on this comforting classic the whole family will adore!
👥 8 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 2h⏳ Prep: 30 min🔥 Cook: 1h 30m👤 Jen📖 carlsbadcravings
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- pan
- baking sheet
- oven
- food processor
- skillet
- bowl
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- spatula
- cutting board
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Prep: Place a rimmed baking sheet on a baking rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper with overhaninging edges (make a sling with one piece of parchment going one direction and another piece going the other direction); set aside. (Don't line if using a meatloaf pan.)
2
Chop veggies: Add roughly chopped green bell pepper, celery, carrot and garlic cloves to a food processor and finely chop (or chop by hand). While I have the food processor out, I also process my Ritz crackers to create crumbs (remove the veggies, but no need to clean in between).
green bell pepper, (roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces)1/2garlic, (peeled)5 clovesRitz Crackers, (crushed)24
3
Saute veggies: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the diced vegetables until softened, about ⏱️ 5 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Let cool while you make the glaze:
olive oil1 tablespoon
4
Make Glaze: Whisk all of the Glaze ingredients together in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust with more brown sugar for sweeter or more hot sauce for spicier. Set aside.
5
Combine meatloaf ingredients: Add all of the remaining Meatloaf ingredients to the sauteed vegetables except the beef. Stir with a spatula until combined. Add the ground beef and mix with your hands just until combined.
granulated beef bouillon (or 3 cubes, crushed)1 tablespoonground beef (preferably not lean, 80-85%)2 pounds
6
Make loaf: While still in the bowl, form the mixture into a loaf, pinching together any cracks (helps prevent cracking while baking). Slide into the loaf pan, gently press meat down and shape evenly, again pinching together any cracks.
7
Glaze meatloaf: Separate out ½ of the Glaze and brush it all over the meatloaf.
8
Bake and glaze: Place the loaf on the preheated baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for ⏱️ 45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf and carefully pour out any pooling fat. Brush the meatloaf with a generous amount of remaining glaze (you can leave some for serving).
9
Finish baking: Return to the oven and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 155 degrees F. This can take anywhere from ⏱️ 35-55 minutes depending on the pan, meat, moisture, altitude. etc. so I HIGHLY recommend this digital probe thermomter that stays in the meatloaf while it bakes and alerts you as soon as it's done. My meatloaf was done at extactly 50 additional minutes.
10
Rest and slice: Let the meatloaf rest in the pan for ⏱️ 15 minutes (this will allow carryover to 160 degrees F), then transfer it to a cutting board using the overhaning parchment. Let it stand an additional ⏱️ 5-10 minutes. Slice the meatloaf into thick slices (expect some crumbling, this means it’s extra tender as opposed to a cleanly sliced meatloaf which means it’s firmly packed and dense). Serve with creamy garlic mashed potatoes and enjoy!
garlic, (peeled)5 cloves
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