How Do You Make Meatloaf?

Updated on January 12, 2012
M.D. asks from Washington, DC
26 answers

We normally use the Rachael Ray recipe in our house. Quick, easy, and yummy. (2 lbs hamburger, equal parts of BBQ sauce and salsa, breadcrumbs.)

Tonight I want a normal recipe though. I took out 2 lbs of hamburger and 1 lb of sausage, not knowing what I'll use. My parents add the sausage and it's yummy! I'm waiting to hear back from them now on their recipe.

So in the meantime, how do you make yours?

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So What Happened?

I never thought of using oats! I do have a huge thing of Quaker Oats from our failed attempt at oatmeal raisin cookies over Christmas...maybe I'll use some of those!

Those sound amazing!! Looks like I'll be making different variations until we find another one we love!

Wow! I really will be excited to try the different variations!! I made my mom and dad's recipe tonight...which like Riley calls for the bread soaked in milk. They use half hamburge and half sausage, whatever veggies they feel like (I used onion and carrots tonight), garlic, salt, dill weed, and 1-2 eggs. I thought mine was a little runny so I added in some bread crumbs. There is NONE left!! The kids all loved it and hubby and I have what was left packed for our lunches tomorrow.

I am definitely going to try some of these other recipes too - thanks mamas!

Featured Answers

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J.L.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I use Paula Deen's Old Fashioned Meatloaf recipe, it is sooo good and really easy. Here is the link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/old-fashion...

2 moms found this helpful

M.M.

answers from Chicago on

Literally just made it to pop in the over tonight!
1lb ground beef
1/2 C minced onion
1 egg
1/2 C crushed saltines
2 tbps water
3/4 tsp salt

Bake for 35 minutes.
Comes out with a nice subtle onion flavor, and I put Worsteschire (sp?) sauce on mine instead of ketchup.
YUM!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

I can't remember exact quantities since I'm not home:

ground beef
onion
oatmeal
egg
salt & pepper
Worcestershire sauce
garlic

1 mom found this helpful

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C.W.

answers from Phoenix on

I use 1 or 2 pounds of hamburger, a package of lipton dry vegetable soup mix, and half a cup of water. my grandma made it this way and we loved it.....doesn't taste as good as it did when she did it though....then again nothing tastes as good as it did when grandma made it lol

4 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Laurie’s meatloaf
Ingredients
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground Turkey
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped poblano pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Bread crumbs (torn up pieces of bread)
(optional 1 cup,cubed american cheese, placed in the center of the meatloaf)
Topping:
1 Can Rotel tomatoes diced.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf. Pour Rotel on top and bake for 1 hour.

3 moms found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

These all sound good! On my last meatloaf, I actually used a cupcake/muffin pan to make 24 individual meatloaf "muffins". They turned out great and the kids REALLY enjoyed eating their own individual mini-meatloaves. Plus it was easy to portion out the leftovers without having to pull out a whole loaf to slice it up. But mostly, it was just a fun way to eat meatloaf!

3 moms found this helpful

C.P.

answers from Columbia on

Ridiculous No-Fail Meatloaf
Don't expect any leftovers.

Prep time: 10 mins
Baking time: 1 hour
Bake @ 375 F
Servings: 6-8

2 lbs Lean ground meat, beef/veal, turkey/chicken, and/or pork or combo of them. I like a 40% pork/40%turkey or chicken/20% veal blend.

1 pkg. STOVE TOP stuffing mix, I use whichever flavor suits my family's taste at the time or the season. When making a double batch I use two different flavors.

1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup or tomato based BBQ sauce, divided 1/4 cup for loaf and 1/4 cup for top, I like more for the top.
2 eggs, beaten
* optional- 1/2 a handful of raisins, dates or figs

MIX- all ingredients except the 1/4 cup of the ketchup.
SHAPE- meat mixture into oval loaf in a 12 x 8-inch baking dish, top with the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup.
BAKE- at 375 F for 1 hour or until center is no longer pink.

3 moms found this helpful

J.H.

answers from San Antonio on

I take 2 parts hamburger to 1 part sausage (basically what you have) and add oats, ketchup, mustard, an egg, and whatever spices I feel like having. I mix it up with my hands (sometimes I have to add more oats or another egg depending on how it feels) and put it in a loaf pan, bake on 350 until cooked through. When it's nearly done (like 20 minutes out) I mix ketchup with brown sugar and put it on top and continue to bake.

I'm sorry I don't have exact measurements. I don't use exact measurements in my meatloaf.

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K.P.

answers from Norfolk on

I made meatloaf Sunday night and it was the best one I had done in long while.

2-3 pounds ground beef (or whatever ground meat you use)
2 slices of bread run through water so it is mush
diced up onion (depending on how much your family likes it)
2 eggs
salt and pepper on the top

Mix it all together. Salt and pepper the top to taste. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes (until it's not pink).

I also use this recipe for hamburgers sometimes.

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J.S.

answers from Columbia on

Hamburger
bread crumbs
1 egg
ketchup
worchestershire
mustard

I have found the key is a meatloaf *pan*. One that lets the grease drain out. I spent 10 years trying to make grandma's recipe and it always sucked and fell apart. MIL gave me the right pan - voila!

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A.C.

answers from Savannah on

2lbs meat, chopped onion, rotels, an egg, instead of bread crumbs I use ground up corn chips, a taco seasoning packet, some shredded chedder cheese. Bake it, then 10 minutes before it's done I pull it out, top it with a little more shredded cheese and salsa instead of ketchup. Bake that last 10 minutes, and that's our way of doing the "mexi-meatloaf".

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B.G.

answers from Champaign on

I use Lipton Onion Soup mix and the recipe on the back. My family loves it!

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✤.J.

answers from Dover on

1.5-2 lbs Hamburger
2 eggs
1/2(ish) jar Hienz chili sauce
1/2(ish) cup Oats
1/4(ish) cup breadcrumbs
big squirt ketchup
medium squirt yellow mustard
lots of dashes of Worchestershire sauce
couple tsp. salt
couple tsp. black pepper
lots of shakes of dried parsley
couple shakes of garlic powder
several shakes of onion powder

Whatever chili sauce is left in the jar I pour into a bowl & add a few dashes of lemon juice, a couple tbsp. brown sugar & a can of condensed tomato soup. I mix that all together & plop some of it on top of the meatloaf before covering with foil & baking at 375 for 45-50 minutes. The rest I put in a small saucepan & put on a back burner on medium low while the meatloaf cooks. We serve the sauce over the meat & homemade mashed potatoes.

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K.C.

answers from Washington DC on

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/emerils...

Okay, this is seriously kind of a ridiculous recipe. It's Emeril, he has a ton of ingredients. But my husband LOVES this meatloaf, and it has become my go to meatloaf recipe.

Now, let's be honest, I do not use all of the ingredients.... ie. the veal. But I do use sausage, he love loves this. Basically, you make your meat mixture with veggies and spices, and you make the tomato-ey topping. Cook it. I don't always use the bacon, sometimes I do.

In my house (or at least in my mind) there are two categories of meatloaf: meatloaf with tomato-ey topping, or meatloaf served with gravy. So you could do away with the topping if your household isn't into the tomato thing.

We all warp recipes a little bit, don't we? Every time I make this a little different, but mostly the same. What is great, is that I can make the loaf early on, cover it and keep in the fridge until it's time to cook it.

Like I said, it is my go to meatloaf recipe!

best of luck,
KATIE

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J.C.

answers from New York on

I make mine very simple:

Chopped turkey (or whatever you prefer)
Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 choped onion

Then I our a jar of brown beef gravy over the top. When it's nealy cooked (after about an hour) I pour another jar on top. It heats the gravy and gives it a meatier flavor - then I put it all over mashed potatoes with a salad. Maybe some corn.

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A.C.

answers from Washington DC on

I make mine partially veggie by adding rice, cabbage onion, green peppers, mushrooms and carrots and some thyme garlic sage and parsley. I make it with ground turkey. I'll use even less meat by adding ground tofu, or soy "meat" or chopped seitan. Since you have turkey in it already, everybody is happy. I put a can of tomatoes on top and serve with mashed potatoes. Yum.

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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

Your recipe sounds completely yummy....Mine is pretty boring with italian breadcrumbs and eggs. topped with ketchup...Go to Allrecipes.com. they have great recipes.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I use Cottage Meatloaf recipe. You can google it. It is a sweeter meatloaf though but once I had it I just like it now.

1 mom found this helpful

J.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, tomoato sauce added in for flaroving the meat, seasonings, add tons of tomoato sauce around it, then bake it, and then after 40 minutes add in cubed potatoes and they absord the tomoato sauce and taste awesome

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Ground turkey
4 pieces of brown bread soaked in milk
Sauteed onions w/ thyme & bayleaves (let cool)
Stewed tomatoes
Catsup
Woosta-sher-shire-sheer-shauce (huzzah abbot & costello)
Panko Crumbs
Eggs
Salt
Honey+catsup+cumin glaze

1 mom found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Rachel:

Sorry I missed this on yesterday!!!

Defrosted hamburger, one roll sausage mix together.
One egg
Oatmeal
chopped onions

If I'm in the mood - I chop up carrots and bell peppers too!!

mix together mold into pan and top with BBQ sauce or salsa. If I use salsa? I crush tortilla chips and use them instead of oatmeal. I also add cheese too.

Bake for 1 hour at 375 - cut and serve with mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans.

1 mom found this helpful

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

ground beef
bread crumbs
finely diced onion
worcestershire
sage
minced garlic
milk
salt/pepper

spread chili sauce over the top, then bake.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Kansas City on

hi, I always make mine different, depending on what's in the fridge. I usually use 3-4 lbs of hamburger, by hubby likes to eat on it for lunch all week long too. Anyway, then I throw in 2 eggs, a bunch of diced up onion, and little bitty can of spicy V-8 juice, either oats or crackers, whichever I have, then I open up the fridge, and squirt in some ketchup, bbq sauce, taco sauce, Jalapeno juice (this makes it really yummy), and worchestchire sauce, and some steak sauce. Then I mix it all up and bake it. My husband says I make it the best, and lots of people want to come over for dinner when I say I am making it.

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P.S.

answers from Houston on

Meat
An egg
A handful of bread crumbs
Whatever veggies I can find in the fridge, minced as small as I can
A packet of Lipton soup mix
A squirt or 2 of ketchup

Mix well, roll into 4-6 hand size balls on a pan or baking sheet, bake 350 for 45 mins to an hour. Some people put a sweet/sour glaze on it but my husband hates it so I leave it off.

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A.F.

answers from Houston on

Ground beef/venison
1 packet of onion soup mix
egg
breadcrumbs/white bread

Simple simple. Many people who don't like meatloaf do like this. Probably because it doesn't have all the "extras" in it.

I like to cook mine in a square glass baking dish. That way I don't have to fight to get the slices out of the pan. More typically than one large loaf, I'll make several smaller, football shaped loaves.

My husband burned out on meatloaf in the military so he doesn't eat it. The smaller loaves allow me to freeze them then pull them back out when I need a quick meal for my daughter and me.

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S.C.

answers from Des Moines on

Mine never turns out the same way twice.

I use 3 pounds of ground meat (deer,beef, pork or better yet a mixture).

It usually goes something like this. Put meat in bowl add an egg or two and some milk, some chopped onion. Stop and look through the fridge for any other veggies that need used up. GREAT place to dice up those last few carrots and the celery that's starting to look a little sad -- dice it up fine enough and you can add anything!

Open up the freezer and see if anythings else needs used/sounds good (see that frozen box of spinach that's been in the back of the freezer for ages? Trust me, it'll be GOOD in the meatloaf if you zap it for a few seconds and squeeze all the water out)

Then start searching the cupboards for crackers or cracker crumbs or bread crumbs or something. I usually end up using oatmeal or crushed up corn flakes.

Then start rummaging through the spice drawer. Always pepper and garlic salt, you can use Italian seasoning for a nice twist though-- especially good if the meat mixture is heavy on the pork and the veggies had an Italian trend (Like spinach and mushrooms), or maybe you're feeling Mexican and have a packet of taco seasoning?

Then stop and look at what you have in the bowl and think about what else would be good in there. If you're leaning Italian, maybe some parmesan cheese? Mix it up and put it in the pan(s) -- I like doing mini meatloaves, either free style or in muffin tins, they freeze AWESOME (cook, and CLEAN, once, eat over and over!) Then top with sauce. Plain old Ketchup is actually my usual favorite, but you can use anything -- plain tomato sauce or Spagetti Sauce or Salsa or BBQ, or Grandma's secret sauce, depending on what you put into the meat loaf/what sounds good/what you have. Bake at 350 until done, then uncover and bake a couple more minutes to brown the top!

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