Best Homemade Meatloaf Recipe

Ground beef is the star of so many favorite iconic comfort foods! Don’t miss Ground Beef Stroganoff, Mini Meatloaves, Swedish Meatballs, Hamburger Helper, Salisbury Steak, Loco Moco, and Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes.

HOW TO MAKE Meatloaf VIDEo

Best Meatloaf Ingredients

This meatloaf recipe is made with a few untraditional ingredients like Greek yogurt to create the moistest recipe ever! Still, all the ingredients are pantry friendly or easy to pick up at your grocery store. Let’s review the ingredients you’ll need to make the BEST meatloaf (see measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

For the meatloaf:

Meatloaf Glaze

My favorite sauce for meatloaf is a sweet and tangy glaze made of ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard, brown sugar and a splash of hot sauce. The zesty glaze caramelizes as the meatloaf bakes, becoming one with the juicy loaf so every bite is adorned with contrasting flavor.

Ingredients for meatloaf glaze

How to Make the Best Meatloaf

Making meatloaf is very simple – the most difficult part is waiting while it bakes! A food processor will make prepping the veggies and aromatics even easier, then it’s a quick sauté, mix, and bake until dinner. Here’s an overview of how the recipe comes together (see full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

Step 1: Chop the veggies. I like to use a food processor to speed things along, but feel free to do this by hand if needed. You want to finely chop the bell pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic cloves. You don’t want to have big chunks of veggies in the meatloaf. While I have the food processor out, I also process my Ritz crackers to create crumbs – no need to clean out the processor in between.

Step 2: Sauté the veggies. Add the minced vegetables to an oiled skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until softened. Add them to a large mixing bowl and let cool while you make the glaze.

Step 3: Make the meatloaf glaze. Add the glaze ingredients to a separate bowl and stir to combine. Taste the glaze and adjust as desired (more sugar to make it sweeter, hot sauce to make it spicier, etc.).

Step 4: Assemble the meatloaf. To the bowl with the cooled veggies, add the remaining meatloaf ingredients except the ground beef. Stir to thoroughly combine, then add the beef. Mix well with your hands until combined, but don’t overmix. While still in the bowl, form the mixture into a loaf, pinching together any cracks (helps prevent cracking while baking). Slide into the loaf pan. Separate out ½ of the Glaze and brush it all over the meatloaf.

Step 5: Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf and carefully pour out any pooling fat. Brush with a generous amount of the glaze and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 155 degrees F.

Step 6: Let it rest. The meatloaf needs at least 15 minutes to rest before slicing. This time allows for the redistribution and reabsorption of the juices throughout the loaf for optimal flavor and juiciness. It also cools the meatloaf slightly, making it easier to slice without crumbling.

My favorite side to serve with this easy meatloaf recipe is mashed potatoes – it just doesn’t get any better! Meatloaf is also tasty with buttered egg noodles or low carb alternatives such as cauliflower mashed “potatoes.” As far as veggies, we love this recipe with honey roasted carrots, glazed carrots, broccoli, roasted broccoli or green beans. Or, consider pairing the meatloaf with a fresh salad such as green bean salad, tomato cucumber salad, apple salad, Fall salad or beet salad. For fruit, go as simple as melon or grapes or as flirty as fruit salad with honey lime vinaigrette, winter fruit salad and berry salad in honey mascarpone. Lastly, we love a side of cornbread, garlic bread or dinner rolls.