This Easy Meatloaf is a favorite at my house. It’s the recipe we always use when we want a meatloaf that’s tender, super moist and utterly delicious!
This easy meatloaf recipe here is the only one you will ever need. Meatloaf is always a favorite in most households because it’s great comfort food plus it’s economical. Truly a classic family favorite!
This meatloaf recipe is super simple to make and just absolutely fabulous. The best, most tender and moist meatloaf recipe you’ll ever need. Serve it with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy and you’ve got yourself a wonderful comfort meal whether it’s for a cold winter night or a warm summer day.
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Meatloaf is something we all grew up eating whether it was for Sunday supper or an easy meal your mom made during the week. I personally love it with mashed potatoes or even oven roasted potatoes and veggies. I sometimes even make meatloaf sandwiches, mind blown! What’s not to love with meatloaf, it truly is a great meal for all the meat lovers out there.
There are also many different variations of meatloaf, probably every culture has their own twist to it. It’s economical, it’s easy to make and it’s always a crowd pleaser.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST MEATLOAF
- Don’t be afraid to mix your meat when making meatloaf. Never go all beef, add that ground pork, you’ll end up with a much better tasting meatloaf. Throw in some ground turkey for a leaner meatloaf.
- Soak in your breadcrumbs with the milk, this will ensure the meatloaf will hold its shape while still staying moist. Don’t be afraid in to add more veggies as well, such as peppers and onions, but sometimes mix it in a bit with shredded zucchini, carrots or sometimes even spinach. Great way to hide those veggies and keep your meatloaf moist.
- Always always top your meatloaf with that extra sauce, whether it’s your favorite barbecue sauce or just ketchup, it will add acidity and cut the fat a bit.
MEAT LOVER? TRY THESE RECIPES:
- Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
- Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
- Salisbury Steak Meatballs
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Stout Meatballs with BBQ Sauce
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
This Easy Meatloaf is a favorite at my house. It's the recipe we always use when we want a meatloaf that's tender, super moist and utterly delicious!
- 1 large onion finely chopped or grated
- 1 cup breadcrumbs I used Panko
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 cup barbecue sauce I used Guy Fieri's Sweet and Smoky Kansas Style BBQ sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray; set aside.
Grate the onion (if not using chopped) in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and the milk and stir it together. Add the rest of the ingredients but only add about 3/4 cup of the barbecue sauce to the meat mixture. Mix the entire meat mixture really well using your hands or a spoon.
Add the meat mixture to the prepared loaf pan and shape it into a loaf. Brush with the remaining barbecue sauce over the top of the meatloaf.
Bake for 60 to 80 minutes or until done. Best way to tell when a meatloaf is done is to use an instant-read thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the meatloaf and when it reaches 160 degrees F, it's done.
Let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing into it.
Recipe Video
Note: Video is missing Worcestershire sauce, please add that to the recipe.
To get that gravy that you can see in the video that I'm drizzling over the meatloaf, all I did was mix the pan juices with some more BBQ sauce and it's to die for!
Tip: Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet as you bake the meatloaf so as not to get your oven dirty.
Serve this over creamy mashed potatoes.
Nutrition: Nutritional information assumes 8 servings for the meatloaf. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Great weeknight meal- everyone loves a good meatloaf!
This looks so good!! So much better than the meatloaf I grew up with. I can’t wait to share it with my family.
Truly easy, but with all the flavor I want in a meatloaf!
This time of year, I get a hankering for comfort food. Your meatloaf is perfect—love the addition of BBQ sauce!
Looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try this recipe….total comfort food dish.
what can I use in place of the BBQ sauce in the mixture? Plain tomato sauce? Also, there’s a sweet tomato-y topping, can you tell me what that is?
The topping is more BBQ sauce. You can mix ketchup in there instead of BBQ sauce, or you can do tomato sauce if you don’t want the sweetness.
A magnificent refined treat
Looks delicious! I’m thinking of making one next week for my family. The sauce truly makes my mouth watering!
– Natalie Ellis
Hi Jo,
Question: I am not suppose to eat pork (nitrates), so would a pound of ground turkey work in place? Or would it make it too dry? I never change your recipes until I have made them exactly as written. Kind of hate to do it to this one. Meat loaf is one of my comfort foods and this sounds delicious.
Thanks so much for your time.
Izzy
You can definitely use ground turkey. To make sure it doesn’t turn out dry use regular ground beef instead of lean.
I use a recipe that my mother used, it has all the things you have used but she always added a can of Campbell’s vegetarian vegetable soup ( undiluted ) to the mix with strips of bacon and catsup on the top. I will try using the BBQ sauce in place of the catsup. Of all the meatloaf recipes I have ever seen I have never seen anyone use vegetable soup in the mix.
WOW… I’ve never heard of using the soup either but sounds good, you get extra flavor and all the veggies…. I’m going to try that next time ! so glad I read the comments
Hi Jo, Didn’t you forget salt and pepper??? I always put a teaspoon of salt in this size meatloaf and a few grinds of pepper. ( not a fan of pepper)
It’s the last ingredient, it says salt and pepper to taste. 🙂
says salt and pepper on receipe
How long do most people cook theirs? I only cooked mine for an hour and small pieces of ground pork were not done all the way…at least on my plate. Other than that it was a hit
I usually bake a 2-pound meatloaf 1 hr and 15 minutes
This meat loaf looks so yummy and i plan on making is there another barbecue sauce that i can use. Thank You
Absolutely, you can use the BBQ sauce of your choice, that’s just the one I happened to have. 🙂
Hi Jo. Our readers love your meatloaf recipe! I featured it in my latest blog post: http://www.recipechatter.com/easy-meatloaf-recipes-actually-taste-good
Thank you 🙂
Can eat pork can I all meat?
CAN YOU USE GROUND TURKEY MEAT AS I’M NOT A PORK PERSON,ALONG WITH HAMBURGER MEAT.THANKS,I’M BEEN TO CANADA ABOUT 7 TIMES JUST RUNNING AROUND IN CAMPER,LOVED IT AND ITS THE CLEANEST COUNTRY I HAVE EVER SEEN,GOD BLESS.FRANK
Of course you can, ground turkey would be great.
Gorgeous meatloaf! As a former Calgarian, I can testify for extremely long winters and bright sun every day.:) It seems like it is never ending.:) After living in Vancouver, I miss snow sometimes. I wish we could have it for a week and then bye-bye.:) Never thought I would miss it.:)
I’m with you here, I love snow for about a week and that’s during Christmas, but then that’s it. I’ve had enough! Ready for the beach, lol!
Back in the day I used to put hard boiled eggs inside so when it was sliced you got slices of egg too.
Question not connected.
Can limes be frozen as is?
My mom used to put a boiled egg in the middle too. 🙂 Not sure about the limes, can’t say I ever froze them before.
This looks delicious – taking you feeds also, Regards.
Meatloaf looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.