Ingredients and Equipment
- Food processor (if you plan to make your own breadcrumbs)
- Loaf pan
- Mixing bowls (one small, one large)
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 cups bread crumbs (which will require 3-4 slices of white bread if you are making your own)
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 or 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 cloves garlic or 1/2 oz. garlic powder
- Optional: Bacon (for topping), cheddar (for topping), carrot, celery, parsley, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce
Step 1: Mix it Up
- Before you do any mixing, preheat your oven to 400º0F.
- If you are making your own bread crumbs, place bread in your food processor until crumbs have formed.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine meat, onion, garlic, egg, one-fourth cup ketchup, one and a half teaspoons salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper.
- Some like to add two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and one and a half teaspoons dry mustard as a substitute for garlic.
- Add the bread-milk mixture to your large bowl, and mix gently with a fork, or use your hands.
Step 2: Place in Pan and Add Topping
- Place your mixture into a buttered loaf pan, or you can form it into a loaf on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
- Brush remaining ketchup over the top of your meatloaf, or wait to brush it on during baking.
- You might also like to add bacon to the top of your meatloaf. Four strips will be enough.
- Alternatively, finely grated cheddar cheese can be a delicious topping, try mixing one-half cup into your final mixture and then sprinkling another half-cup on top before baking.
Step 3: Bake
- Bake your meatloaf for 45 to 55 minutes.
- When done, your meatloaf will start to pull slightly away from the pan.
- You can also use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature.c Your thermometer should read 160ºF if your meatloaf is done.c
- You may wish to brush ketchup over the top of your meatloaf twice while baking.c
- Be sure to let meatloaf rest after removing it from the oven so its juices will redistribute.c
Variations
References
Meet Our Expert
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Tristan Blash
Tristan Blash is a chef and teacher at the Los Angeles branch of HipCooks, a culinary school for adults. A graduate of Colorado University-Boulder, Blash has been a caterer and event planner in Scotland and New York City. Blash left the food industry for a while, but returned because she said she was "not able to keep her hands or brain off of food."
Tips
- Sandwiches can be made from the leftovers.
- Allow the meatloaf to sit after it's done cooking to allows the juices to spread evenly.
- It's ready when you can pull it slightly away from the pan.
