What beats a warm plate of meat loaf on a relaxing Sunday evening?
Meatloaf is such a comfort food in our household. I love to make it on evenings that follow a lazy day. There’s just something about the a savory taste of ground beef, sweet ketchup, and herbs and spices that make you feel like curling into the couch immediately after dinner.
I’ve played with my meatloaf recipe for several years, but I think I’ve finally got it down. This recipe is extremely easy, and perfect for 4-6 portions. It’s made in a pound cake pan, and with just one pound of ground beef (which for some reason is rather hard to find out there!).
When you take your Sunday morning trip to the store for the week, be sure to pick up:
- Ground Beef
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 Egg
- 1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped
- Ketchup
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Italian Seasoning
- Onion Powder
- Fresh Parsley, chopped
You’ll also need the following for the delicious glaze on top:
- Ketchup
- White Vinegar
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Brown Sugar
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
Meatloaf 101: Mix With Your Hands
This is an incredibly important step! Meatloaf, meatballs, hamburgers – mixing with your hands is the best way to avoid over overmixing the meat. You don’t want to end up with meat paste! You want crumbly, yet effectively combined meat to lead to a flavorful and just compact enough loaf.
You should only need to squeeze and mix for about a minute or two to get the right consistency.
Let’s make it!
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- Add all of the meatloaf ingredients to a large bowl and gently mix using your hands. I know super complicated.
It should look like this when you’re finished.
- Line a pound cake pan with parchment paper and gently press the meat mixture down into the pan, smoothing it out on top.
- Bake the meatloaf in a 350° for 40 minutes.
- While the meatloaf is baking, gather all of your ingredients for the glaze.
- Whisk all of the ingredients together until the glaze is smooth and set aside.
- After the meatloaf has baked for 40 minutes, pull it out of the oven and spread the prepared glaze over the top.
- Place the meatloaf back in the oven for another 20 minutes, remove and allow it to cook for 10 minutes prior to removing it from the pan.
- Lift the meatloaf from the pan gently by using the overhanging parchment paper, and place it on a cutting board or serving platter.
- Gently slide the meatloaf off of the parchment and slice into 1 inch slices.
If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to post a rating and comment!
I’d love to see your pictures on Instagram too! Tag @a_toastedcrumb!