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If you’re looking for the BEST old-fashioned classic beef meatloaf, I have you covered with this family favorite recipe. It’s full of flavor and topped with a lightly sweetened ketchup mixture.
If you’re looking for a delicious classic beef meatloaf recipe, I have it covered!
This is my favorite meatloaf recipe, and it excites me for dinner whenever I make it.
Taking “pretty” pictures of meatloaf was difficult, but if you’re a fan of traditional vintage meals, you’ll love this recipe.
This recipe highlights the simplicity of old-fashioned recipes. Plus, it only uses a few simple ingredients that are likely already in your pantry.
It uses cubed white bread (instead of the usual bread crumbs), chopped celery and onion, and a few simple spices. It is topped with a lightly sweetened ketchup mixture.
You’re going to love this simple and classic recipe – trust me!
Are you craving more meatloaf? Try my BBQ Glazed Meatloaf, Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf, or Veal Meatloaf with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce.
Ingredients for ground beef meatloaf
- Ground beef – I like to use 85/15 ground beef, but anything not too lean will work well here. This is so the meatloaf does not dry out.
- White bread – This is going to help bind our meatloaf together.
- Eggs – Brings moisture and help bind the meatloaf together in loaf form.
- Milk – I like to use milk as it boosts the moisture of the meatloaf.
- Yellow onion – This brings flavor to the recipe.
- Celery – More traditional meatloaf flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – adds a lot of flavor and saltiness to the meatloaf.
- Kosher salt – Just a touch to bring out the flavors.
- Poultry seasoning – I joke that this is my secret ingredient, but it’s a powerhouse of flavor for the meatloaf. And since it’s dried, it’s easy to keep on hand!
- Black pepper – I love the pop of flavor black pepper brings to the dish.
- Ketchup – A classic meatloaf topper.
- Brown sugar – Just a little for added sweetness to the topping.
- Light corn syrup – This helps bring sweetness to the topping and gives it a lovely shine.
How to make beef meatloaf
The best part about making meatloaf is having it in the oven in just about 20 minutes. Then, all you need to do is wait for it to bake! I love a hands-off cooking recipe!
- Preheat your oven and line a rimmed baking sheet pan with foil. The foil will help prevent the meatloaf from sticking and facilitate cleanup.
- In a mixing bowl, add all your meatloaf ingredients and, using your hands, mix to combine.
- Place your mixture onto your prepared baking sheet pan and shape it into a roughly 6×12-inch loaf.
- Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven, top with your prepared meatloaf topping, and bake for 15 minutes more.
- Serve along your favorite sides, such as Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
Making meatloaf in advance
Classic beef meatloaf is a classic for a reason! It’s a great prep-ahead style of meal.
- Make your meatloaf according to directions, and cover the pan with foil or plastic wrap.
- Store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Before baking, remove the meatloaf from the oven for 30 minutes to help remove some of the chill.
- Bake according to directions. If the meatloaf was still cold in the oven, it may need a little longer to bake. Just remember, meatloaf is fully cooked at 160 degrees F internally.
FAQ’s
More classic dinner recipes
Classic Beef Meatloaf
Ingredients
For meatloaf:
- 2 pounds ground beef, 85/15
- 4 slices white bread, cut into small cubes
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For meatloaf topping:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Instructions
For meatloaf:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, set aside.
- In a large bowl add ground beef, cubed bread, eggs, milk, chopped onion, chopped celery, Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, poultry seasoning, and black pepper.
- Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Because the meat is cold I usually have to take a few breaks to warm my hands up while mixing. You can also use a silicone spatula BUT I think it gets better mixed by hand.
- Once your meat is mixed place it on the baking sheet and form into a loaf. I usually make my loaf about 6 inches wide by 12 inches long.
- Add to the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- After an hour of baking remove the meatloaf, top with ketchup mixture, and place back into the oven.
- Cook for 15 minutes or until the meatloaf is fully cooked (it should feel firm) and the ketchup mixture on the top has started to bubble. Internally, the meatloaf should reach 160 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, slice, and enjoy.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
For meatloaf topping:
- In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, corn syrup, and brown sugar until smooth and combined.
Notes
- If you don’t want to use light corn syrup in the ketchup mixture, add more brown sugar or leave it out altogether. How sweet you like your ketchup mixture can vary from person to person.
- I like to use 85/15 or 90/10 for my meatloaf. It would be best to have some fat so the meatloaf does not dry out while baking. 80/20 makes a good meatloaf, too, but it will give off more fat.
- I like to line my baking sheet with foil as it’s much easier to clean up. The foil will catch all the fat from the meatloaf while baking.
- Dried poultry seasoning typically consists of sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg, and black pepper.
- I like to use simple sliced bread like Wonder Bread. If you’re using much larger slices (think Pepperidge Farm style bread, which tends to be much larger than traditional bread), then you’ll use three slices instead.
- Meatloaf is fully cooked at 160 degrees F internally.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely delicious! I loved the addition of brown sugar in the ketchup mixture.
Hi Jen – thank you! That is one of my favorite parts too! That added sweetness really works well.