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Classic Meatloaf

Name: Classic Meatloaf
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 700 g Ground beef; 1 Onion; 3 cloves Garlic; 2 Eggs; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1.5 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 1 tsp Dried thyme; 1 cup Breadcrumbs; 0.5 cup Milk; 0.5 cup Ketchup; 2 tbsp Brown sugar; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

The great American weeknight dinner: ground meat bound with a milk-soaked breadcrumb panade, shaped into a loaf and baked under a sweet-tangy ketchup glaze. One bowl, one pan, almost impossible to get wrong — and the leftovers make a legendary sandwich.

Ingredients

4servings

Ground beef · or half beef, half pork700 g
Onion · finely chopped1
Garlic · minced3 cloves
Eggs2
Worcestershire sauce · or soy sauce1 tbsp
Salt1.5 tsp
Black pepper0.5 tsp
Dried thyme · or parsley, optional1 tsp
Panade (the key to moisture)
Breadcrumbs · panko, or 2 slices torn bread1 cup
Milk0.5 cup
Ketchup glaze
Ketchup0.5 cup
Brown sugar2 tbsp
Dijon mustard · or vinegar1 tbsp

Steps

Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Chop the onion and garlic as finely as you can — coarse pieces make the loaf crumble when sliced.
Stir the breadcrumbs and milk together in a bowl and let them soak for 5 minutes. This panade is what keeps meatloaf moist.
⏲ 5 min
Add the ground meat, onion, garlic, eggs, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and thyme to the soaked panade and mix gently with your hands — just until combined. Overworking it makes the loaf tough.
⏲ 2 min
Turn the mixture onto a lined sheet pan and shape it into a free-form loaf about 20 × 11 cm. Baking it on a sheet instead of in a loaf pan browns all four sides.
Whisk the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard into a glaze and brush half of it over the loaf.
Bake at 175°C for 40 minutes.
⏲ 40 min
Brush on the rest of the glaze and bake another 20–25 minutes, until deeply glossy and 71°C (160°F) in the center.
⏲ 23 min
Rest for 10 minutes before slicing — cut too soon and the juices run out and it falls apart. Serve in thick slices.
⏲ 10 min

Tips & Variations

Variations

Bacon-wrapped: Drape bacon over the loaf before baking for a salty crust that seals in the juices.
Cheese-stuffed: Press in half the mixture, add a line of mozzarella, cover with the rest — cheese pull on every slice.
Mini meatloaves: Divide into a muffin tin and bake just 25–30 minutes. Perfect for lunchboxes.
Turkey meatloaf: Leaner with ground turkey or chicken; add 1 tbsp olive oil so it doesn't dry out.
BBQ glaze: Swap the ketchup for barbecue sauce for a smoky finish.

Tips

Don't skip the panade (breadcrumbs + milk). Without it you've just made one giant hamburger patty.
Mix gently, by hand. Kneading the meat gives it a springy, sausage-like texture.
Use a sheet pan, not a loaf pan — a free-form loaf isn't sitting in its own fat, so all sides brown.
Times are a guide; 71°C (160°F) in the center is the real doneness test. A thermometer beats guessing.
Rest 10 minutes. Slice it hot and it collapses.
Mashed potatoes and green beans are the classic plate. Cold leftovers make a famously good next-day sandwich.

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