Mom’s Meatloaf

This is how my mom taught me to make meatloaf, and her mom taught her (miss you, Granny!) tweaked to my own modern tastes. It’s uncomplicated and comforting and a hug on a plate!

Tips, Tricks, & Shortcuts (hit the arrow to expand/collapse)

This recipe is perfectly flexible!

If you’d like a leaner version, use 93/7 ground beef, or a mixture of 1 pound 80/20 ground beef and 1 pound ground turkey. Ground turkey will change the texture slightly (a bit more chewy and less tender) but will still taste great!

If you are leading a sugar-free lifestyle, use sugar-free ketchup in this recipe with no adjustments to the measurements. Rather than using brown sugar in the glaze, use Swerve brown sugar replacement, or just use plain ketchup (no mustard) as your glaze.

Ingredients

Meatloaf:

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef

1 cup sweet onion, diced or grated

2 large eggs

½ cup old fashioned oats

2 cloves garlic, diced or grated, or 2 tsp garlic paste

2 Tbsp. yellow mustard

¼ cup ketchup

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

½ Tbsp. onion powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Glaze:

¾ cup ketchup

¼ cup yellow mustard

¼ cup brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F

2. Pour all meatloaf ingredients into a large bowl

3. Using a sturdy spatula or a gloved hand, thoroughly combine all ingredients into a cohesive “batter”

4. Plop the meatloaf mixture into an ungreased 8x8 glass pan or divide between two loaf pans

5. Using the back of a spatula or spoon, press meatloaf into the pan until it’s level

6. With the same spatula or spoon, press between the sides of the pan and the meatloaf - this will create a “trench” for the beef fat to run off the sides of the meatloaf rather than sitting on top (see picture below)

7. Bake the meatloaf uncovered for 45 minutes

8. In the meantime, whisk all glaze ingredient together in a small bowl until well combined

9. Remove meatloaf from oven and VERY CAREFULLY pour off most of the rendered fat (DO NOT pour fats down your drain - pour into the trash can onto some paper towels or into a heat-proof glass to cool down)

10. Pour the glaze onto the top of the meatloaf, pushing some of the excess glaze over the sides and into the “trench” - this will allow some of the glaze to caramelize

11. Bake the glazed meatloaf for 20 minutes or until the glaze is caramelized and slightly browned

12. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving

Suggested Products*

Mixing bowls

Silicone spatula

Glass baking pan

Loaf pans

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