Momma’s Meatloaf (+Video)
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!
THE 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:
80/20 or 85/15 are going to be your most flavorful ground beef for the recipe. You can certainly use a leaner meat but you sacrifice some flavor by having less fat.
Yes you can. Turkey is very lean though so you obviously are not going to get anywhere near the flavor as you would with a fattier ground beef.
This is normal. It should look like that and will help this meatloaf come out super moist and tender!
Store bought bread crumbs soak up a lot of moisture in the meatloaf. I really don’t recommend using them in baked meatloaf (it’s a bit different in a slow cooker meatloaf). Sliced bread is a great filler without it soaking up all the moisture from the meatloaf. If you insist on using breadcrumbs, I would use panko breadcrumbs.
Yes. This can be made in a loaf pan (with about the same cooking time.) Cooking it on a sheet pan helps some of the fat spread away from the meat.
I converted this same recipe for the Instant Pot too!
Yes! Head over to my Air Fryer Meatloaf recipe on how to do that.
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 and black pepper
- dry ground mustard
- garlic powder
- ketchup
HOW TO MAKE MOMMA’S 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 RECIPES?
Originally published: August 2011
Updated & republished: December 2019
Momma’s Meatloaf (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 3 slices bread, torn up into small pieces
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ Tablespoon onion powder (or 1/2 cup finely chopped onion)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dry ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup ketchup
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F degrees. Combine 1 pound ground beef, 3/4 cup milk, 1 large egg, 3 slices bread, torn up into small pieces, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ Tablespoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon dry ground mustard, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon hot sauce and ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder in a large bowl.
- Shape into a loaf onto a sheet pan.
- Spread ½ cup ketchup on top of meatloaf.
- Cook for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes (or until a meat thermometer reads 160F degrees).
- Let stand for 5 minutes then serve.
Video
Notes
- This can be made in a loaf pan with about the same cooking time.
- Try adding 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce to the ketchup topping for a slightly smoky flavor.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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!