Classic Meatloaf
A tender, juicy meatloaf made with a milk-soaked bread panade and sautéed onion, baked free-form on a sheet pan under a tangy brown sugar ketchup glaze.
- Everyday Classics
- Oven
- Beef
- Dinner
- 90 min total
- Serves 6
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 6. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
Meatloaf
- 3 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef, 85/15
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
Glaze
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Steps
Step 1: Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment.
Step 2: In a large bowl, soak the torn bread in the milk for 5 minutes, then mash it into a paste with a fork.
Step 3: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium. Cook the onion 5 to 6 minutes until soft, add the garlic for 30 seconds, and let it cool a few minutes.
Step 4: Add the onion, beef, pork, eggs, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, parsley, salt, pepper and thyme to the bread paste. Mix gently with your hands just until combined.
Step 5: Shape into a loaf about 9 by 5 inches on the sheet pan.
Step 6: Whisk the glaze ingredients. Brush half over the loaf.
Step 7: Bake 45 minutes. Brush on the rest of the glaze and bake 15 to 25 minutes more, until the center reads 160°F.
Step 8: Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Swaps
- Meat: All beef works fine. Ground turkey needs an extra egg yolk for moisture.
- Bread: 3/4 cup crushed saltines or panko soaked in the milk.
- Glaze: Swap half the ketchup for barbecue sauce.
Tips
- Leftover meatloaf makes the best sandwich. Fry a cold slice in a skillet until crusty.
- Baking it free-form instead of in a loaf pan lets the glaze caramelize on the sides too.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Meatloaf has a reputation problem. Somewhere along the line, people got served too many dry, gray bricks and decided they didn’t like it. That’s not meatloaf’s fault. That’s a technique problem, and it’s easy to fix.
The secret weapon is the panade, which is a fancy word for bread soaked in milk. When the meat cooks, its proteins tighten and squeeze out juice. The soggy bread gets in between those proteins and holds onto moisture, so the loaf stays tender. Cooking the onion first means no crunchy raw bits and a sweeter flavor. And a little ground pork adds fat and richness.
Baking it on a sheet pan instead of a loaf pan means the fat drains away, and the glaze gets all sides of the loaf instead of just the top. More caramelized edges, more happy people. Serve it with the mashed potatoes, and suddenly meatloaf is everybody’s favorite again.
HAM out.
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