How to make a hearty moist meatloaf with a delicious glaze crown. The best easy meatloaf recipe comes out juicy every time. A classic meatloaf recipe with breadcrumbs comes to you with lots of tips and trick to make it extra tasty, yet easy to make.
One of the most kid-friendly and family favorite dinners is meatloaf. You’ll enjoy every slice of it and will take any leftovers for lunch the next day.
Some of the tips are also mentioned in my juicy kofta (meatballs).
This post has been updated from the original August 2017 . Last updated January 2019.
Meatloaves are one of my go to dinner recipes for busy weeknights. It is easy, cheap and kid friendly. Here is our family’s meatloaf recipe that tastes very fresh, juicy, fluffy and delicious. A foolproof recipe with ingredients simple to find and probably there in your pantry.
We have a weakness for incredible moist ground beef, whatever the shape it takes. My kids love ground beef. I find myself many times stuck for what to make for dinner and it always comes to the rescue. They love meatballs very much and when these particular Hassan Pasha meatballs show up on the dinner table, it is a feast.
My oldest came home more than 8 years ago demanding a meatloaf like the one he had at school. To tell you the truth, I’ve never had glazed meatloaf in Egypt, we only eat meatloaf plain with no topping… aren’t we missing a lot?!!
I hesitated, ahem for 8 years, to make a glazed meatloaf and was just content on serving my family the traditional plain boring one. Until recently, I decided to venture more and add the glaze… WOW guys it has made a huge different and of course I became the best mom ever and this loaf became the best ever meatloaf… Proud mama here 😎.
My little one gobbled two slices as a starter course hehehe. Although I do not mind eating sweet and salty things, I suspected that I will like the glaze as it has brown sugar which in my food culture does not resonate with beef. But I was wrong, my whole family had an amazing dinner that night and now way I am going back to the no glazed version of this.
Meatloaf Recipe FAQs:
Why would you put milk in meatloaf?
Milk is usually used to moisten breadcrumbs or bread that is used in the meatloaf. Liquids and starch ( bread/ bread crumbs or Panko) makes what is called a “panade.” When you mix it into the ground beef, the panade coats some of the protein and sets it into a gel when cooked. So you get a better meatloaf.
Usually I do not use milk, it is either plain water or using onion juice to moisten the bread
How long do you cook meatloaf in the oven?
It really depends on the size and oven temperature, but usually around an hour. I’ve baked mine for almost an hour at 350F then for another 10 minutes to caramelize the glaze.
What goes with meatloaf?
It is usually served with mashed potatoes, but for some color you can serve it with any steamed veggies you want. I actually pan fried some peppers and served it along with mashed potatoes.
Meatloaf Recipe Tips and Tricks:
Here are some of the tricks I’ve learned from my mom and over the years of home cooking:
- Moisten the breadcrumbs/bread with onion juice. This makes the meatloaf more tasty than using milk or just plain water.
- Put a couple of bread slices at the bottom of your pan. This helps in catching the dripping and makes it easier for cleaning as well. It also helps creating crispy edges and not soggy ones.
- Use fatty ground beef , lean ground beef makes the meatloaf dry. I usually use 83 or 85%. If you have lean ground beef then try adding some fat, one of the common things to do is adding bacon.
- Add some of the glaze to the mixture to give moisture.
- Do not overmix as this turns the meatloaf dry. The easiest way to avoid that is to mix all the ingredients together first then use a light touch to combine meat.
- Our taste buds are different, so it is better to check the seasoning. My mom and all the other moms I’ve known in Egypt, just dip their finger in the meat mixture and taste it. I know this sounds gross, and it is unhealthy as well. So instead here is a perfect thing to do, take a small portion like a teaspoon or so and cook it quickly on a pan on your stove top. Taste it and if it feels like it needs more seasoning then add more.
- Let it rest for a good 10 minutes before slicing. When I have time, I like making mine in the morning, chilling it and then reheating it on stove top or the grill when we are ready to consume.
How to make the best meatloaf?
- First thing I did was mixing the panade. Adding finely chopped onions with Panko bread crumbs did the trick.
- Add the parsley, eggs, spices and about a third cup of the glaze, more on that coming up.
- Mix everything well.
- Add the ground beef and carefully mix then form a log.
- Now about the glaze: add all the glaze ingredients together and whisk well.
- Put a couple of bread slices at the bottom of your pan as I stated above.
- Add the meat and bake on 350F for an hour.
- Take it out and pour or brush top of the meatloaf with the glaze.
- Bake for another 10 minutes to caramelize the top.
Let it set and cool down a bit before slicing and serving.
This easy, moist meatloaf is such a treat! It also refrigerates and reheats really well so leftovers are nice!
I hope you’ll like this recipe and please if you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #amiraspantry — I love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter!
Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for the FREE Amira’s Pantry newsletter delivered to your inbox with lots of tips and surprises! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Moist Beef Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced about 1/2 cup.
- 1 cup panco breadcrumbs.
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 eggs.
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings.
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley.
- 2 cubes beef bouillon crumbled.
- 2 pounds ground beef.
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice.
- 2 teaspoon yellow mustard.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a bowl, combine the glaze ingredients until smooth, set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine panco bread, diced onion and mix well to moisten all the panco.
- Add the rest of the meatloaf ingredients and about 1/3 of the glaze mix.
- Mix everything well together and form into a loaf.
- Add two slices of bread to the bottom of a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Place the meatloaf on top of the bread and bake for 1 hour.
- Drain any excess fat, pour the rest of the glaze on top of the loaf and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Slice and serve with extra sauce.
Thank you, Amira!
I’ve made meatloaf in several different ways & was not impressed. When I used your recipe, I was delighted & couldn’t wait to share my new favorite dish with my family & friends.
This meatloaf is delightfully flavorful without being too dense or crumbly. I especially like how the use of bread at the bottom absorbs the tasty glaze. I always make extra glaze as it perfectly balances the tangy & sweet flavors.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful 5-star recipe!
Jac, thank you so much for your feedback, I too like the bread at the bottom :). I am so happy you liked it.