Amazing homemade Meatloaf Recipe. The meatloaf is so tender and juicy on the inside with a sweet and tangy glaze that adds so much flavor to the meatloaf. Serve the easy meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a side of asparagus.
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Hey, hey! Valentina with Valentina’s Corner sharing our Meatloaf recipe.
Meatloaf Recipe:
Ground beef mixed with onion, Panko breadcrumbs, fresh parsley and seasonings produces an irresistibly tender and juicy meatloaf. The sweet and tangy glaze adds amazing flavor to this classic meatloaf.
Tips on How to Make the BEST Meatloaf:
- DO NOT OVERMIX which can result in a tough/dense meatloaf
- Line your loaf pan with parchment paper with edges hanging over the pan for easier removal of meatloaf.
- Keep the juices from the pan and pour over the sliced meatloaf before serving.
- Chop the onion finely, allowing it to cook through (or sautee onion before adding)
- Gently press meat into the pan so it holds its shape.
- Rest meatloaf for 10 minutes before slicing
What is the Best Meat for Meatloaf?
You want to use ground beef that is 85% or 90% lean meat. Do not worry about using lean meat – the rest of the ingredients will keep your meatloaf moist and juicy. Avoid super lean meats.
Meatloaf Sauce:
This meatloaf sauce is incredible as a glaze for the meatloaf with the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors. Ketchup combined with brown sugar, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper and vinegar creates an irresistible sauce. Once baked, the glaze caramelizes and is SO GOOD!
Can I bake Meatloaf on a baking sheet?
For crispier edges, bake meatloaf on a baking sheet. Out of foil, create a self-made pan with edges to keep the drippings from the meatloaf as it’s baked. Shape meatloaf and place into the foil. Continue with baking instructions. NOTE: Baking time may slightly vary, depending on the shape and thickness of the meatloaf.
How long to cook Meatloaf?
Cook the meatloaf uncovered for 40 minutes at 375°F. Add the sauce, and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, or until internal temperature is 160°F. If using a smaller loaf pan than 9″x5″, increase cooking time.
Leftover Meatloaf?
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, here are some leftover meatloaf ideas (and I’d love to hear your ideas in a comment below):
- Leftover Meatloaf Sandwiches
- Make Spaghetti Bolognese (just add meat to the sauce!)
- Beef Tacos – Break up the meat and put it in tacos
- Quick Beef Chili – just stir, simmer and enjoy!
Can you freeze Meatloaf?
Yes, meatloaf may be frozen before cooking. To freeze, prepare meatloaf per instructions. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze.
Defrost the raw meatloaf in the refrigerator covered. Continue with baking instructions.
More Easy Dinner Recipes to try:
- Turkey Chili is on the regular rotation at our house
- Chicken Parmesan – Better than eat out
- Chicken Stuffed Shells – The filling is amazing
- Chicken Fried Rice – A one-pan wonder
Meatloaf Recipe with the Best Glaze
Ingredients
Meatloaf Ingredients:
- 2 lbs ground beef, 85% or 90% lean
- 1 med onion, finely chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground paprika
Meatloaf Sauce Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 ½ tsp white vinegar
- 2 ½ Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients for the meatloaf. Mix well to combine.
- Add meat to the loaf pan, gently press meat down and shape evenly and bake meatloaf at 375˚F for 40 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together for the sauce. Spread the sauce over meatloaf then return to oven and bake additional 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160˚F. Rest meatloaf 10 minutes before slicing. Drizzle with baking juices from the pan.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This was the best meatloaf , I will be making this again , I added bell peppers and only used 2 tablespoons of brown sugar , I forgot the white vinegar but was still great.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Vee!
Very good and easy to do. The most important thing is don’t over mixe the ground beef you don’t want it moody…. excellent
You got that right Richard! Thank you for that awesome review!
Will it makes any difference if I use regular
breadcrumbs instead of panko?
Hi Natasha
thank you for your recipe.
What can I use instead of panco crumbs?
Gluten free version?
Thank you
Alena
Hi Alena, Panko is a staple for us – we love that they are larger crumbs, but I think you could sub with regular just fine, just keep in mind that regular bread crumbs are crushed more finely so you might need slightly less.
This was very good. I will make a couple of changes next time. I will cut the Italian seasoning in half as it was overwhelming and detracted from the other flavors. Maybe it depends on brand and freshness. I will also use at least a quarter teaspoon less salt. There was plenty of yummy glaze, in which I added a teaspoon of Worcester sauce and broiled at the end. These are personal preferences of course and we look forward to enjoying this recipe even more the next time!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Vonnie! I would love to hear your feedback with those changes!
Made this recipe tonight and it was a hit! We loved the tangy sauce. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review Elena!
I’m trying this tonight! Quick question, if I don’t use loaf pans, should I adjust the cooking time?
Hi April, depending on how tall your meatloaf is you may need to adjust cook time. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
This is the absolute best meatloaf I’ve ever had and this will be my go-to recipe in the future. I’m actually making it again today. Thank you so much for sharing it! *love*
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite Joe!
Can this be prepped into the pan then frozen?
Hi Michelle, I haven’t tested freezing that before baking so I cannot advise. One of our readers has stored it in the freezer post-baking, however. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I think the Italian seasoning threw the flavor off for me. I’d leave the onion and garlic out of the glaze next time as well.
I did this and it was awesome reheated!
Thank you for sharing that Joe!
I have prepared it, put it in the pan for cooking the next day and placed it in the fridge overnight and it turned out GREAT!!! Just make sure you add about 45 mins to the cook time and the internal temp is 160 degrees.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Adriane!
Excellent recipe – moist and great flavor! The topping is a bit too sweet for me, though. Maybe next time I will skip it or only use half as much.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us & if you experiment I would love to know how you like that!
Thank you for delicious meatloaf receipe. My family love it.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed this recipe Irene!
Prepped it the night before and baked it the next day. It was delicious :). Thank you for the recipe.
hat’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Bex!
It’s all true. This meatloaf is so delicious! So glad I found this recipe!
Instead of Italian Seasoning I used lots of Za’atar (an oregano/marjoram/thyme based herb mix) and I added Worcester Sauce to the glaze.
The next day I placed the leftovers into fresh buns with a little ketchup or mustard. What can I say, even my friend who hates minced meat and therefore Burgers LOVED them!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Hi Julie! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! I love the idea of using it with a fresh bun the next day!
Definitely a little different. Made extra sauce and broiled for a couple of minutes. Excellent
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Recipe was very clear and easy to follow. However, I followed the bake time and temps and when I put my thermometer in it it only read 130 degrees Fahrenheit…
Thinking ok maybe my thermometer is faulty, I cut into it and peeked and it definitely was not cooked through the middle.
Does the fact that I used a glass loaf pan make a difference?
I put it back in the oven for another 20 min after scraping off as much glaze as I could to reapply later. I’m still waiting to see if I can salvage the meal.
Hi Eva, It is most likely due to using a glass pan. When using a glass pan, I would suggest adding an extra 10 minutes at least (and it was smart of you to check with a meat thermometer). The reason being that glass doesn’t heat up as quickly as metal. I hope it still worked out well for you.
Was a huge hit, the family loved it! Can you prepare this the day before and put it in the fridge and then just put it in the oven the next day? If so are the cooking temp and time still that same.
Hi Adriane, I haven’t tried it that way but it should work. I would add 5 minutes to the bake time since the meat will be coming out of the refrigerator cold.
First off I do not like meatloaf, I do not write reviews, and I rarely make any recipe that has the word “Best” in it.
When my husband wanted meatloaf, I started searching the web. When I read this recipe and the reviews for this meatloaf, I took a chance and made it. After one bite, and to my surprise, I fell in love with it. The glaze was so tasty I literally scraped it off my plate. My husband hummed while he ate it and my kids ate seconds. When I went back for another piece it was gone.
I have added the recipe to my favorites and will have to make two loafs the next time I make it. This is a must to make!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Andrea! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Super yummy! This meatloaf is like lazy meatballs. So good. Really enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us Esther!
Just made this and it already smells amazing and it’s not even half way done cooking! I did try the glaze before I added it and it was just a little too sweet and ketchupie for me so I added a little tomato paste and some whats this here sauce (come on who can really say it correctly) and it was perfect! Love the recipe will let you know how it goes!
Hi Brooke, I hope it becomes a new favorite for you! The flavor profile of the glaze changes once it is baked so I would recommend try it as is.
I make this meatloaf for the first time an it was amazing.this is the second recipe from u🥰🥰
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Making tonight! I’ll let you guys know the results!
We’re looking to your feedback! I hope you love it!
Top notch, the glaze is awesome!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Neil!
I try to keep my processed foods to a minimum. I use to love the Lipton onion soup meatloaf. Since I stopped eating the onion soup mix, I haven’t found a meatloaf recipe I like so I stopped making them (tried making my own onion mix – not the same).
I also don’t usually choose dinner recipes that have sugar, but given this was 5 star and I haven’t found a good recipe, I made an exception.
I found it salty, but other reviewers didn’t say anything, so wondering if I screwed up the measurements. We like onions a lot so I would add more. I used coconut milk and gluten free panko.
It was a good recipe, and I’ll make it again.
Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Check you Italian Seasoning, maybe it also has salt. I try to get Italian Seasonings that don’t include added salt, just the spices.