Momma's Best Meatloaf recipe is full of flavor and is moist and scrumptious! It's simple to make and comes out perfect every time!
MOMMA'S BEST MEATLOAF RECIPE
I think most folks at some point in their lives have had either great experiences with meatloaf or really bad ones. Maybe the meatloaf was a tad dry or maybe it tasted like a lump of beef and nothing else. Don't worry, I am about to change your mind about any of your bad meatloaf experiences! This meatloaf recipe is not only delicious and flavorful, it is most definitely not dry!
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST MEATLOAF:
- Use some meat that has fat. This is not the place for lean beef. Lean beef is more expensive and it can be dry because there is not much fat.
- I would not recommend ground turkey for this recipe.
- This meatloaf will seem a bit "wet" as you form it. Don't worry that is normal - I promise it will turn out great!
- I like the cubed breadslices for this but bread crumbs (about ½ cup) can be substituted for the bread slices.
- Want to fancy it up a bit? Add a little balsamic vinegar to the ketchup before topping the meatloaf.
-
This can be made in a loaf pan (with the same cooking time.) Cooking it on a sheet pan will help some of the fat spread away from the meat.
- I converted this same recipe for the INSTANT POT too!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
ground beef (80/20 works good)
milk
egg
sliced bread
Worcestershire sauce
onion powder
salt
salt
dry ground mustard
black pepper
hot sauce (optional)
garlic powder
ketchup
HOW TO MAKE MOMMA'S BEST MEATLOAF:
Heat oven to 350F degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (except ketchup.)
Don’t be afraid to get in there with your hands – they work best.
Spread mixture into an ungreased loaf pan or shape into a loaf on a sheet pan.
Spread ketchup on top of meatloaf.
Cook for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes (or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.) 
Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.
CRAVING MORE? GIVE THESE RECIPES A TRY!
INSTANT POT MEATLOAF AND POTATOES
CROCK POT MEATLOAF
MEATLOAF MELTS
MOZZARELLA STUFFED BBQ MEATLOAF
THE BEST CROCK POT CHILI
CROCK POT MEATLOAF MEATBALLS
MOMMA'S BEST MEATLOAF
Momma's Best Meatloaf recipe is full of flavor and is moist and scrumptious! It's simple to make and comes out perfect every time!
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Servings: 4
Calories: 428kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 3 slices bread torn up into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon onion powder or ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dry ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup ketchup
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (except ketchup.)
- Spread mixture into an ungreased loaf pan or shape into a loaf on a sheet pan.
- Spread ketchup evenly on top of meatloaf.
- Cook for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes (or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees).
- Let stand for 5 minutes and serve
Video
Notes
This can be made in a loaf pan with the same cooking time.
Nutrition
Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 832mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 3.5mg
Nutritional Disclaimer
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Originally published: August 2011
Updated & republished: December 2019
My entire family loved this meatloaf, I can finally say I found a really good meatloaf recipe we all loved! I used 3 slices of regular light honey sandwich bread since I didn’t have any white bread. I also put 2 slices of bread one in front of the other under the meatloaf before I baked it. It was a hit! Enjoy!
I’m finally done searching meatloaf recipes, yeah!
Enjoy
Sharon M. 8/30/2020
One of the best and easiest meatloaf
recipes I ever made! I’m reading that many people have trouble slicing the meatloaf without it falling apart. I have the answer!! A few years ago I came across a “Meatloaf Pan” as seen on TV.
I found it in the local commercial pharmacy! (They often sell these type of items, and there’s no shipping!!! It’s the best pan ever. It includes a non-stick loaf pan, and an insert that has holes on the bottom to allow the grease from the meat to go through. After baking, lift
the insert by both side handles and slide it right on a platter!! Slice away!!
I, too, grew up with dry meat loaf. I thought it bland, and could take or leave it (depending on whether or not I was starving!) Not till my 30's or so did I taste a meat loaf I fell in love with! My best friend's mother made the Most Delicious Meat Loaf Ever! Got her recipe, made it & my husband loved it, too! Present day, 2020, lost the recipe (my housekeeping sucks) and my friend is fighting cancer as well as her dog being sick. I just can't bring myself to ask her to read it to me over the phone or to copy it down & send it to me. BUT, I do remember it was a mixture of beef and pork, had finely minced green pepper, grated onion and shredded carrots, then she also mixed ketchup & brown sugar, then poured that down the center of the top of the meat loaf. Your recipe is the best one out there!
This is just like what my Mom made and instead of just ketchup on top she would mix ketchup and worcestershire sauce and a little bit of brown sugar the ketchup sauce was made to her liking so there was no recipe for it,it was all by taste.
I'm 71 and this is the very best meatloaf I have ever had!I am done with those dry sawdust breadcrumbs. This is how you do it!
Kids and husband loved it!
Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know Molly! So happy to hear that!!
this's what i'm talkin' about!
YUM.
Thank You, Kindly 🙂
This is a great recipe.. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks so much Rochelle!
Very delicious!!
Love hearing that! Thank you so much Kim!
I hated meatloaf when I was a kid. It was always dry and bland. We always used breadcrumbs and I really think that was the problem. They have no flavor and dry everything out. Your recipe is the opposite, always moist and flavorful. Thanks for a great recipe that has become a staple in our house!
Woo hoo!! Thank you, thank you! I am determined to change the minds of meatloaf haters. LOL!
Correction to my earlier comments. Mom used Heinz bottled Chili Sauce (not cocktail sauce.)
Mom never did use Ketchup, just the sauce. That was mixed right into the bread chunks along with the eggs, etc, before the meat. Bread was torn apart rather than cut; size about the top section of the thumb.
Yes. I think it had little bits of things in it for more texture and flavor than ketchup.
Thank you! This is the only recipe using chunks of bread and milk like Mom's! There are are a couple of differences in flavoring ingredients (I think Mom used Heinz Cocktail [?] Sauce.) I hated losing her recipe and haven't made it in years. I loved eating cold slices (on white bread with yellow mustard) the next day.
This the go to meatloaf recipe at my house, perfect every time! The bread makes all the difference. I am a believer!
Woo hoo! Love hearing that Robert! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and comment on it!
I'm trying this in zuchinni boats. I've made this before and it's delicious.
Just made this for my family. My picky 10 year old had three helpings, which is a huge win. I doubled the batch using 1# of 80/20 and 1# of ground pork. I agree with others - its the bread instead of crackers or breadcrumbs. I think those make it so dry. In any case, it turned out perfect!
5 stars!!!
Sounds good. John likes it with half ground beef and half sausage. Mom always used crushed saltines. I add about half a diced green bell pepper. The egg is the binder that holds it together. I use two. A little milk added to the egg Letting the loaf rest a few minutes makes it easier to slice. Also I've added peeled quartered potatoes in for about the last half hour. Thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight. BEST. MEATLOAF. EVER. Honestly, it was seriously amazing and moist. Your bread trick is amazing. I had some stale brioche bread and just put that in there. I've always used breadcrumbs. Not anymore!!
I've been making meatloaf the same way for 30 years. I think I got it off the back of a stuffing box. My family didn't hate it but they didn't love it either. That all changed tonight. I made it exactly to your recipe. So delicious and they all had seconds and even thirds! Ha!
You could use the honey wheat bread.
A picky eater here. Those of you grating onion to slip into the meatloaf, if you serve it to a TRULY picky eater, they'll shove it right back at you. My taste sense for onion is so strong that it can tell if a sandwich maker has handled onion before they made my sandwich ... the taste transfers to my bun/bread. Now, I always ask sandwich makers to change their gloves before they make my sandwich. Believe me, I'd know if there is ANY kind of onion (ground, powdered, green, etc.) in anything served to me. So, don't think you'll always get away with grating onion, or otherwise "hiding" it in food!
This recipe sounds scrumptious, so I'll probably divide it into two smaller loaves and make one without onion for myself, and add onion to the other for the other people.
Just came across your site and this wonderful recipe through Pinterest. Looks and sounds delicious. I live alone and thinking about making this in muffin tins, as a whole pound of meat is way too much for one person
That is a great tip MathewsLisaJ! Will have to try that out! Thanks for giving me some of your wisdom, those picky eaters will drive you nuts!
Just a tip from a mom with kids all grown now, use a cheap spaghetti sauce in place of ketchup in the meatloaf. It adds great flavor. Also, I always added brown sugar and a little mustard to the spaghetti sauce for the top of the meatloaf. By the way, for the person who suggested grating the onions...brilliant! I wish I had thought of doing that. Oh, the problems that would have solved with my picky kids!
Don't change a thing about this recipe! Everybody wants to tell everybody else how they make their meatloaf. Don't listen! This recipe is perfection and I would't change a darn thing! Thank you Brandie!
IF you double the recipe, you will need to add to two separate loaf pans. Just cook them side by side. Hope this helps.
I make my meatloaf in a cake pan and put cut up potatoes, carrots and onions around it. Veggies baked in meatloaf drippings are to die for.
My meatloaves are never the same twice, like my vegetable soup. I just go through the fridge and start throwing stuff in. Examples: Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, bbq sauce, A-1, onion powder or diced onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, black olives, garlic powder.
I'm going to try adding milk next time
Your meatloaf looks great. I also have a picky son who doesn't like onions in his meatloaf. But I grate my onion into the meatloaf and still get that wonderful addition of flavor without having to pick out pieces of onion! You can't even see it! He doesn't even know its in there!!
My recipe is a little different. I use crushed Sunshine cheezit crackers instead of bread and I make several mini loaves and pop in the oven so everybody can have their crunchy ends.
My husband and I love a meat loaf every couple of months. I started mixing mine in a large shallow bowl and make a rough form then slide it into my hot, lightly greased 12" cast iron skillet and finish forming it so ends touch the edge of skillet (meat is narrow and long like the shape of loaf pan). it comes out so yummy!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I think we've been making meatloaf all wrong with using breadcrumbs and not a lot of flavor. The Worcestershire is a brilliant addition! I will echo what others are saying - you gotta make it Brandie's way. I see other people here saying how they make it but I'm telling you - don't listen! This is the only one!
Sitting here at 2am cause I can't sleep looking for something for dinner tonight when I came across this, Do you have to use the ground mustard? I have everything else to make but not that. Don't want to have to go to Wally World today, Thanks
I found on google that you can sub regular mustard.... 1 tsp of dry = 1 tbsp mustard
I made this meatloaf for dinner last night and it was delicious. I cooked the loaf on a sheet pan as suggested (traditionally, I use a loaf pan) and it turned out great! So much more crunchy crust!
Making this right now!!
Jen -thank you so much for that comment! You made my day!! It really means so much to me to hear that your enjoying the recipes. I hope you find lots more that you love!
I found your blog through Pinterest and I've come back to it over and over. I've liked almost every recipe I've made from your site (only one didn't come out as I'd hoped but was still okay to eat--just didn't get the rave reviews that everything else has). I'm not much of a cook but now have four males in the house and am cooking a lot more than I used to. I'd never made meatloaf before last week when I tried your recipe. It was gobbled up so fast, and I swear, I thought my boyfriend was ready to propose on the spot. I'm making it again tonight and just wanted to thank you for the confidence you've given me to try new recipes. Your site is wonderful and this recipe was fantastic!
That looks just wonderful, I make mine and it is more of a wet mixture that has to go into a cake pan, but I think I am gonna try this one the next time...mine just like alot of ketchup in the mixture....
Very good!! Yum!! I always put a couple of slices of bacon on top. It gets nice and crispy and some of the flavor goes into the meatloaf. When my kids were at home we all wanted the bacon!!! I love the hint of putting the bread under it....really helps with the grease. This is great cold for sandwiches!! I LOVE your site!!!!
Made the meatloaf tonight. Delicious! Thanks for the tip about the bread under the meatloaf as it cooks. It worked wonderful!
This brought back a lot of memories---both good and bad (good meatloaf, etc.) This recipe sounds great, though!
You said a mouthful about bad meatloaf and there's plenty out there. Not that of either of our Moms' of course, by definition they were delicious... which in fact they were. So is yours by the look of things Yum!
I haven't made a good meatloaf in ages! This looks delicious, can't wait to try out your recipe. Thank you for sharing 🙂
-Rachel
This is funny to me because growing up I always hated my mom's meatloaf. It wasn't until I had someone else's meatloaf that I knew it could be very good. My MIL makes delicious meatloaf, so I started making her recipe and love it. Just this year my dad finally told my mom that he didn't really like her meatloaf. She asked me for my recipe and they love it.:) This looks like a good one!
Heather
Thanks for sharing on Church Supper. We are meatloaf lovers in our house and my boys would love yours b/c of the ketchup. I prefer it w/o, so I'm "mean" and make them dip after it's cooked. Lol Hope to see you back again next week!!
With my mom's recipe, we make individual patties, and some get ketchup, some don't.. Also cook them up on a broiler pan, so any excess fat drains off.
Oh, and Alex is just TOO DANG CUTE!!! : )
The last time I made meatloaf it didnt turn out so well. I got the recipe from a health cookbook, using lean ground turkey...and basically... it turned out like rubber! lol This sounds wonderful! Bookmarking this one!!
Looks like you've inspired a future food blogger! SO cute. I'm a meatloaf lover...and I'm excited the weather is cooling down so we can put this on the menu!
Love the pictures of your son - so cute! The meatloaf sounds great with the sauce on top!
I have never made meatloaf, but yours looks really tasty and simple to make! I think I will have to give it a try sometime soon!
I miss meatloaf!!! My hubby REFUSES and I do mean REFUSES to eat it, no matter what I do or how amazing I think it is, he just will not touch it... Can I come over next time you make this?!? 😉
I love meatloaf and so does the hubbie. Monkey girl on the other hand hates just about everything. I bookmarked this for later. It has been a while since I have had it.
Meatloaf is hit or miss with me. I still can't get excited when I hear my grandma is making it since it was something she made for us every time we came to visit. I get excited when it's a new recipe to try and I haven't made it in months. This looks like a great recipe to try. It's been a long while since I've made meatloaf. I would like to invite you to visit my blog to enter my giveaway. Check it out if you are interested. http://imapretendchef.blogspot.com/2011/08/food-should-taste-good-giveaway.html
this is perfect...BTW i like your kid..he is so sweet
I love it when the kids come in to the kitchen!
Your meatloaf looks great..one of my favorite meals!
I love meatloaf! So does my husband and most of my kids thank goodness. It's actually what I am making for dinner tonight lol and this one looks sooo good!
Meatloaf lover here! Your son might just turn out to be a food blogger too.
You're so right about meatloaf -- I've had mostly bad experiences, though! I've read that great cooks like MLK Fisher and mora Ephron and Laurie Colwin all name meatloaf as one of their all time favorites. I'm tryin yours!
I really like the idea of using the sheet pan. I was never able to get nice slices out of a loaf pan. I have a veggie meat loaf that was next to impossible to get out of a loaf pan so I think I'll retry it forming it on a sheet pan.
There is nothing finer than meatloaf. Yours looks delicious!
I'd love for you to add this to the comfort food linky party Brandie!