How do you feel about meatloaf? Growing up, I HATED meatloaf! My mom would announce we were having meatloaf for dinner, and excitement was never what I felt (no offense, Mom). I knew I could expect this dry, stiff meat blob with an entire bottle of ketchup on top. Not appetizing. My public school didn’t do any better on meatloaf days either.
Needless to say, I grew up with the steadfast belief that all meatloaf is just disgusting and avoided it at all costs. That was, until a good friend requested I make them one. How could I refuse?? I spent a week trying to improve upon my mother’s meatloaf. After MANY horrible renditions of meatloaf, I finally created this. I can assure you, “It Ain’t My Mother’s Meatloaf.” This meatloaf is juicy and flavorful, and my family loves it! It’s also literally as easy as 1, 2, 3. Bonus!
Step 1: The Meat Mixture
For the meatloaf itself, mix a pound of ground beef, 1 cup of regular breadcrumbs (if you don’t have breadcrumbs, toast 4 slices of regular bread and then crumble them-this is what I did originally), 1 cup of milk, 1 egg, a dash of salt and pepper, and some dried minced onion from the spice cupboard. You can use real diced onions if you so choose. I personally HATE chopping onions though, so I always use the dried. Once it’s mixed, put it into a loaf pan and spread it out flat. Step 1-done.
Step 2: The Sauce
To make the sauce, mix the ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar well. Pour on top of your meat mixture in the loaf pan and spread it around evenly over the top. Step 2-done.
Step 3: Bake
Turn your oven to 350° and bake the meatloaf for 1 hour. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before digging into it.
Enjoy! We love this meatloaf served with my EASY Green Bean Bundles and Perfect Mashed Potatoes as sides! Give it a try! I promise, “It Ain’t My Mother’s Meatloaf!”
Not My Mother’s Meatloaf
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup regular bread crumbs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp minced onion dried
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp mustard +⅛ tsp
- 6 Tbsp light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, egg, salt, pepper, and minced onion well. Place mixture in loaf pan and spread out evenly.
- In a separate bowl, mix the ketchup, 1 Tbsp + 1/8 tsp mustard, and the light brown sugar together, making sure all the sugar is combined.
- Spoon sauce on top of meatloaf and spread evenly.
- Bake for 1 hour. Let rest 5 mins before serving.
- Enjoy! We love this served with Mashed Potatoes and my easy Green Bean Bundles!
This is her mom. She’s absolutely right about my meatloaf. It was AWFUL! Hers, however, is DELISH! Enjoy!!
You had me at “meatloaf”. My mom never made meatloaf when I was growing up but she definitely made sure no one was ever getting a food-borne illness from her meat. It was always well done and dry as a bone. Anyway, your recipe looks delish….I am gluten-free so it would be easy to substitute a few slices of gluten-free bread. Have you ever tries this with ground turkey? Thanks for sharing.
I haven’t tried it with ground turkey for fear it might end up too dry because of the lack of fat. I may have to try it now just for curiosity’s sake!
I was never a huge fan of meatloaf either. My husband on the other hand, is a big fan! This looks super simple, which is great for someone like me who doesn’t really spend much time in the kitchen, lol. Might have to give this a shot!