My Meatloaf Recipe

Sharing my delicious meatloaf recipe today! Meatloaf is one of those foods that I would most definitely call a comfort food. Since I was a young child growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, meatloaf has been a favorite food of mine. I learned how to make it many years ago, and have been experimenting with my recipe ever since to come up with my delicious tasting recipe. It is not a vegetarian recipe, but a traditional meat variety.

I am always trying a slightly different ingredient or seasoning for my recipe. You know, I think that is a sign of a great chef who is always experimenting with the ingredients of their favorite recipes to customize the taste for specific audiences.

Normally, when I make my recipe, I like to use a blend of ground meats. I generally use ground beef and a little less of ground pork. You can usually find a meat loaf mixture in your grocery's meat department.

For our recent tailgating get-together for the Jaguars game, I hit upon a recipe that everyone loved. I served it with my eight-layer salad, another delicious recipe!

Ah, my meatloaf is great with so many side dishes. Let me know if you try my delicious recipe, a really easy-to-make comfort food. Have a recipe you'd like to share?

Photo Credit: Meatloaf sliced on a plate and ready to serve by JaguarJulie. 

Do You Like Meatloaf?
Take a moment to answer our poll question. Like it or not?

1. Love it
2. It is OK
3. I don't do meatloaf

Take a Closer Look! - Everybody's favorite!

You know, I think this is one of the most versatile comfort food recipes on earth! I mean, who doesn't have a favorite memory for meatloaf?

There is something quite satisfying to prepare your ingredients and then form the loaf with your hands. All those various ingredients come together in a synergistic process while baking to form something quite delicious.

Served hot or cold, I can literally taste it now.

P.S. I WAS the Official Squidoo Comfort Foods Contributor! Did you know that? Well, you probably guessed it. Ah, so easy to make this tasty comfort food. From my kitchen to yours! I love it hot or cold! How about you?

This was probably one of the first dinner recipes I ever learned to make. It is easily the one food that has so many variations. You can tweak it with ingredients and spices. In fact, you can even make it vegetarian! Today, many people actually love to make it vegetarian style. But, where's the beef?

My Meatloaf Recipe

Ingredients
1 -1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. lean ground pork
1 large egg
2/3 cup Bertoli Olive Oil & Garlic Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 cup Vigo Italian Style Bread Crumbs With Imported Romano Cheese
1/2 large onion chopped
Ketchup
2 bacon slices are optional
Salt and pepper
Garlic salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Chop the onion into tiny pieces. Mix ground beef and pork, egg, Bertoli tomato sauce, Vigo bread crumbs, and onion. Be sure to use your hands to totally mix! Add salt, pepper, and dash of garlic salt.
3. Form the meatloaf mixture into a loaf in a 10 x 5 x 2-1/2 loaf pan.
4. Optional: You can place the 2 bacon slices on the top of the meatloaf. And, add a bit of ketchup to the top if you like.
5. Bake uncovered, for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let stand for 30 minutes to cool.
6. Drain the juice from the loaf pan. Place on dish to slice. And you are ready to serve this delicious recipe.

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 hour 45 min
Ready in: 2 hours
Yields: 4-6

My Meatloaf Hot Out of the Oven

Look closely ... you can see that I have drained the oil from the loaf pan. I love using a pyrex see-through loaf pan! This is a great tip that when you have removed it from the oven, to gently tilt the pan and collect the excess oil in a mug or dish. You will reduce a lot of calories and make the loaf a lot more healthy.

My recipe tastes great!

Well, everyone pretty much knows that meatloaf tastes great the next day and the day after that. It's great cold and also served hot!

I don't know too many meat dishes that I can say that about. This traditional recipe has a nice zesty taste and is quite moist -- not really needing ketchup or gravy. You might even like to serve some spaghetti sauce on top of your meatloaf slices.

I personally love to serve mine with mashed potatoes or with roasted red-skin potatoes.

If you like your leftovers served hot, put a slice of it on a microwaveable plate and pop it in the microwave. You only need a little more than a minute to nuke it and make it like it came fresh out of the oven.

My other recipe variations

I'll use 2-3 slices of bread soaked in milk or Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix instead of the bread crumbs.

I've substituted BBQ sauce, and tried chunky spicy salsa for a little zing, in place of the spaghetti or tomato sauce.

Some hand-selected meat loaf recipes
I've picked a sampling of recipes available on the internet. Have you searched the internet lately? It seems there are quite a few to pick from. I have selected a couple from some popular sources. Hey, why not try Paula Deen's version?

• Barbeque Meatloaf Recipe : Paula Deen : Food Network
  Get this all-star, easy-to-follow from Paula Deen.
• Classic Martha Stewart Recipe
  Get Martha Stewart's Classic Meat Loaf recipe. Also browse hundreds more test kitchen-approved food recipes and cooking tips.
• KRAFT Parmesan Meat Loaf Recipe
  Satisfy all the lovers in your life with this savory, cheesy version of the classic baked entree.

Try Meat Loaf Seasoning

This little packet can be magic for your recipe! McCormick Meat Loaf Seasoning, 1.5 Ounce is such a helpful kick start for pulling all the seasonings together in a handy packet. Yes, I will admit that I sometimes will use a packet of this in my recipe.

You too can get a head start with a little seasoning packet from McCormick. I love having my spices and seasonings readily available for me. Go ahead and experiment from there.

Try a Pyrex Loaf Pan!

You will get a load of mileage out of your World Kitchen Pyrex Easy Grab Loaf Dish!

It is designed with large ergonomic handles for better grasping with your hot pads or oven mitts. And you know that pyrex glass repels stains and odors.

I love how you can see your recipe cooking! Use this awesome loaf pan for making your meatloaf or maybe banana bread!


History: My Meatloaf : A Delicious Recipe for Comfort Food was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on October 2, 2008. On April 26, 2014 this lens earned the Purple Star Award for quality content.