If you’re looking for the BEST old-fashioned classic beef meatloaf I have you covered with this family favorite recipe. It’s packed full of flavor and topped with a lightly sweetened ketchup mixture.
If you’re looking for a delicious classic beef meatloaf recipe I have you covered!
This is my favorite meatloaf recipe that hands down makes me excited for dinner any time I make it.
It was hard to take “pretty” pictures of meatloaf but if you’re a fan of traditional vintage meals you’ll love this recipe.
This recipe highlights the simplicity of old-fashioned recipes and only uses a few simple ingredients that are very 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, and is topped with a lightly sweetened ketchup mixture.
You’re going to love this simple and classic recipe – trust me!
Check out my old fashioned meatloaf web story!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for ground beef meatloaf
- Ground beef – I like to use 85/15 ground beef but anything not too lean will work well here. The reason for 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 gives a boost of moisture to the meatloaf.
- Yellow onion – This brings flavor to the recipe.
- Celery – More traditional meatloaf flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – This adds a big amount of flavor and saltiness to the meatloaf.
- Kosher salt – Just a touch to bring out the flavors.
- Poultry seasoning – I like to joke 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 Karo syrup – This also helps bring sweetness to the topping but also gives a lovely shine to the topping.
What is the best ground beef for meatloaf?
The biggest thing to remember when making meatloaf is that you need fat in order to keep the meatloaf juicy and not dry.
My personal favorite is 85/15 as it is the perfect balance of protein to fat for meatloaf. You can use 90/10 but if you don’t pay attention your meatloaf could end up dry if it’s overcooked.
You can also use 80/20 but it will give off a bit more fat.
Can I use breadcrumbs instead of cubed white bread?
Yes, but the thing I love most about this recipe is that it uses cubed white bread instead of bread crumbs.
The bread I like to use is simple sliced bread like Wonder bread. If you’re using much larger slices (think Pepperidge Farm style bread that tends to be much larger slices than traditional bread) then you’ll use 3 slices instead.
The bread soaks up the milk and egg helps create moisture throughout the loaf and helps bind it together.
However, if you still want to substitute bread crumbs you’ll want to do 1 cup of seasoned or panko bread crumbs.
How do I store leftover meatloaf?
You’ll want to store any leftover cooled meatloaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.
Can I freeze meatloaf?
Yes!
If you want to freeze cooked meatloaf simply let it cool, wrap it in plastic wrap, and store it in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to eat the meatloaf let it defrost in the fridge and reheat as normal.
If you want to freeze uncooked meatloaf I like to freeze it without the ketchup topping. You’ll want to wrap it in plastic wrap, and store it in an airtight container, and will stay good for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to eat simply defrost in the fridge, and cook according to the directions below. I usually make the ketchup topping fresh since it’s one of the easier and faster aspects of this recipe.
Love this classic beef meatloaf recipe?
Why not try a few of my other classic dinnertime recipes?!
- Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf
- Creamy Pumpkin Baked Ziti
- Slow Cooker Parmesan Meat Sauce
- SOS Creamed Beef Recipe
- Baked Ground Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup
Classic Beef Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 4 slices white bread cut into small cubes
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons light karo syrup
Instructions
- 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.
- While the meatloaf bakes mix together ketchup, dark brown sugar, and light Karo syrup.
- After an hour of baking remove the meatloaf, top with ketchup mixture, and place back into the oven.
- Cook for another 15 minutes or until the meatloaf is fully cooked (it should feel firm) and the ketchup mixture on the top has started to bubble.
- Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, slice, and enjoy.
Notes
- If you don’t want to use light Karo syrup in the ketchup mixture you can add more brown sugar or completely leave it out. 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. You need some fat so the meatloaf does not dry out while baking. 80/20 makes a good meatloaf too but it will give off a bit 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 that comes out of the meatloaf while baking.
- Dried poultry seasoning is typically a mix of sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg, and black pepper.
Nutrition
