The Best Meatloaf Recipe Of Your Life
The best-ever meatloaf recipe, topped with a sticky, caramelized ketchup topping. The ultimate comfort food. My secret, easy trick keeps it moist and tender without falling apart.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 ½ tsp coarse salt divided use
- 3 large cloves garlic
- ¼ + ⅓ cup ketchup divided use
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried
- 1 ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork or just use 2 lbs total ground beef
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together breadcrumbs and milk; let stand to absorb. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then cook onion with 1 tsp salt until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute more. Cool for a few minutes, then scrape into breadcrumb mixture.
- Stir 1/4 cup ketchup into the breadcrumb mixture, along with Worcestershire sauce, parsley, remaining salt, and the pepper. When mixture is cool to the touch, stir in the eggs then the ground meat. Use your hands to gently but thoroughly work the mixture together.
- Scrape the meat mixture onto the prepared pan and use your hands to shape it into roughly 9x5" loaf shape. Dollop on the remaining 1/3 cup ketchup, using a spoon to spread it out evenly.
- Bake in center rack of oven for about 1 hour, or until center reads 160ºF. Allow meatloaf to rest on pan for 10 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Soaking the breadcrumbs in milk is key to locking moisture into this delicious meatloaf.
- Cook to 160ºF. It won't dry out and will continue to cook by carryover cooking as it rests.
- Resting the meatloaf is very important to let the juices reabsorb into the meat to make sure the meatloaf stays moist. If you cut into it immediately, the juices will all run out.
- A baking sheet is far superior to a loaf pan for making really tasty meatloaf, because there is more surface area exposed to the heat. All of the surface gets browned and caramelized, meaning more delicious flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 1061mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 263IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg