The best easy comfort food recipe you can make using ground beef and a tasty sticky sauce on top is Granny’s Classic Meatloaf.
Similar to my mini bacon wrapped meatloaf recipe, Granny’s Classic version is the ultimate easy-to-make dinner comfort food that your entire family will enjoy.
CLASSIC MEATLOAF RECIPE
If you’re wondering what to cook for dinner tonight, you can’t go wrong with Granny’s Classic Meatloaf.
Much like Granny’s Monkey Bread and Granny’s Beef and Noodles, this easy ground beef recipe with a tasty flavorful sauce on top will please everyone’s taste buds.
How to make this meatloaf recipe:
This classic recipe consists of two parts: the meatloaf and the sauce on top.
To make the meatloaf,
- Start by sauteing some onion and garlic in butter. Adding raw onion to the meatloaf would be too intense. Cooking them first and allowing them to cool before combining with the remaining ingredients allows you to get the best onion and garlic flavors without them being to harsh or intense.
- Next, the recipe is super easy to make because you simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and shape it into a mound on a baking sheet. I always use parchment paper for easy clean up. This is how my family has been making meatloaf since I was a kid.
While the meatloaf is cooking, mix up the super simple sauce. This easy combination of ketchup, brown sugar, and spicy brown mustard is just what the meatloaf needs. I like to add it half way though the cooking time.
How long to cook meatloaf:
There are two considerations when cooking a meatloaf recipe like this one: cook time and temperature. You see, depending on the size and shape of the meatloaf you make, the time will vary.
If you make it in a loaf pan, your cooking time could be longer because the meatloaf is taller and more compact. If you bake it on a baking sheet like I did, it will generally be more flat, thus increasing it’s surface area and cooking faster.
A general cooking time range would be anywhere from an hour to an hour and twenty minutes. The only sure way to know when your homemade meatloaf is done cooking is to verify the internal temperature is 160 degrees F.
Perfect side dishes to serve with this dinner:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Gorgonzola Celery Root Mashed Potatoes
- Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Balsamic
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Perfect Garlic Sauteed Asparagus
Watch the recipe video below!
Granny's Classic Meatloaf
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
Meatloaf:
- 1 medium sized onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Topping (see note):
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven or grill to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- Melt butter in saute pan over medium heat. Cook onions until fragrant and slightly brown while stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add garlic, cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- In large bowl, combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and cooked onions and garlic. Use hands to mix well, but try not to over work the meat. Shape into loaf on parchment lined baking sheet. Use sharp knife to cut a criss cross pattern on top.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 40 minutes. While meatloaf is cooking, combine ketchup with mustard and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
- After 40 minutes of cooking, spread ketchup mixture over the top of the meatloaf and continue baking for about 30-35 minutes to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
I honestly love meatloaf. It’s true comfort food. Totally pinning!
This is making me hungry! Adding this to our menu this week!
Granny’s know their meatloaf, this is the best recipe!
Meatloaf is such a family favorite! So hearty and delicious. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
This is my husband’s new favorite! Thanks for the great recipe.
Would I be able to make this in a slow cooker?
You bet! The slow cooker should act just like your oven. I’m not sure how long to cook it for, so you’ll need to depend on a meat thermometer and I would hold off on adding the sauce until closer to the end.
Hi! What type of ground beef would you use Krissy? As far as fat content. And also can this recipe be cooked in a meatloaf pan?
I usually prefer lean but it will work with any kind of ground beef. If you don’t use lean, you’ll just get more fat that leaks out. I also prefer it on a baking sheet because I love the crispy outside, but you can certainly make it in a loaf pan.
Looks so good! While using a baking sheet, will it loose its shape in the baking process?
Nope! If your meat is real fatty, you’ll get some grease that cooks out, but for the most part it holds its shape well!
I just did this recipe and it held its shape I loved it although I like things a little kicked up so I added a jalapeño
Sounds absolutely by far delicious!! I will be making this recipe tonight! Thanks for the recipe! My family hates onions and garlic any other good substitutes?
Hi Imani, Onion powder and garlic powder would work just as well for flavor and the onion and garlic haters might be okay with it.
This was the best meatloaf I’ve ever made! Probably best I’ve ever eaten! Seriously! I love that it’s one big loaf…enough for the whole family!
So glad you liked it!!
Are you speechless on your Jan. 22 post. Lol !
Sorry I see response on date in question
TY.
Smells so deeeeelicious!…..added some bacon strips on top just like my mom does
You can NEVER go wrong with bacon!
Thank you for this great recipe. I made it first time and it is already a big hit with my family. I believe the secret to this dish is cooking the onions in butter. It gives the dish a special flavor. Thank you again for sharing, a great recipe !!
This came out delicious. I didn’t have Panko at home so just used seasoned bread crumbs and didn’t make the topping, don’t like ketchup on my meatloaf. This has now become my go to meatloaf recipe. Thanks!
That is how I have always made mine, except for a different topping. Always a hit.
I don’t think grandma ever used Panko bread crumbs. She probably used bread soaked in milk. I will try this recipe though. Thank you for posting it.
I think the panko bread crumbs turned into one of my tweaks over the years. 🙂
I made this tonight and it was awesome. Very easy with simple ingredients from your pantry yet awesome flavor. Thanks for the great recipe,,
Can the meatloaf be frozen if extra is made?
Yes! Just be sure to wrap it extra air tight to keep away the freezer burn. To reheat you might want to make more of the ketchup sauce because it’ll stick to whatever you wrap it in.
Made this about 4 times now. I ALWAYS make two and freeze one. Best meatloaf ever. Shhhh…don’t tell my granny.
I’m trying this for the first time it smells amazing I can’t wait to try it!! Thank you bunches for sharing this recipe!! Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes soon!!
Sounds delicious, but our favorite has always been Tomato Soup on top ! Mix with a little bit of water and smear it over the whole thing and some in the bottom of the pan. (Roasting pan). It makes for a delicious ‘gravy’ for the mashed potatoes!
how much ground beed? a pound?
Hi Kellie, For this recipe I used two pounds but you can definitely cut in half if you need a smaller portion.
This is a great meatloaf recipe! I’ve cooked it both on parchment paper and in a loaf pan. Great either way. If you use very lean mix (I use ground sirloin from local butcher shop) it works well in a pan and you can lift it right out when done for slicing. I just made it for lunch and used Herbes de Provence instead of straight thyme and it was extraordinary. Thank you!
LOVE the Herbes de Provence recommendation. I’ll have to try that next time. Thank you!
I made this tonight. It was delicious and my wife loved it! I added a little sriracha to the ketchup sauce for a little extra kick. Thanks for the recipe!
Best Meatloaf I ever cooked,I cook it once a week now. I bought the Meatloaf mix which has veal,sausage and hamburger. It really kicked it up a notch and my parents love it also and my 82 year old mom hated Meatloaf but she requests this one now.
Could this be made ahead of time and stored in the refridgerator? If so would it change baking time?
Hi Anna, Yes, you can make everything ahead and store in the refrigerator. I would recommend letting it sit at room temperature for an hour or so before baking and not adjusting cooking temp. If you go straight from the fridge to the oven you’ll probably have to increase the cooking time by about 10 minutes.
I’m happy I tried this tonight. It turned out moist and flavorful and the whole family enjoyed it. Sautéing the onions added a nice flavor and is worth the little bit of extra time. I doubled the topping, which was a good idea as everyone enjoyed it and my son actually licked his plate. There’s a little left over, and I’m looking forward to trying it in sandwiches tomorrow. Next time I think I’ll add a little more garlic and black pepper, and try heating the topping in a sauce pan before cooking to see if the sugars will caramelize a little more. It looks like this meatloaf is going to be a regular on our dinner table. Thank you! —Robb
What can I use instead of the mustard?
You can omit or you can use ground mustard or spicy brown mustard.
My mother’s is similar but with a few changes: replace the bread crumbs with 6 slices of white sandwich bread that you have saturated with water and squeezed out; omit milk; add about 3/4 of a block of Monterey cheese that you have cut into 1/4 inch cubes; the rest is like your recipe. If she wanted leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches, she would leave off the red sauce. Personally, when I make it I don’t use the sauce but put it on the table for anyone to add if they want. That way you can use leftovers for lunch sandwiches. The meatloaf cuts really thinly when it is cold.
Oh mine my mouth is watering and I can’t wait to make it today.
I was looking for a new meatloaf recipe as my husband and I have made the same recipe for at least 15 years and it’s a fabulous recipe but I felt like trying a new meatloaf for a change. I fell across this rectangle my husband, son and I all loved it. I wouldn’t change anything except to say next time I’m going to double the glaze, cook it on the stovetop and serve it on the side to dip! Looking forward to making this recipe again. Thanks.
Great recommendations! Yeah… seems like every time I make it, I want more sauce!
Forever my wife has made a kick-butt meatloaf, but this is amazing. I have made Krissy’s meatloaf 4 times now. Best ever.
We love this recipe! It never disappoints and I’ve even made it with 2lbs of ground turkey and it’s still good! haha!
Thanks for letting me know! So glad you enjoyed. -Krissy
Family and I loved it. Skipped the milk and added red peppers.
one tablespoon off brown sugar .. *uses ice cream scooper
Bwhahahaha! My kinda cook! -Krissy
Its great without this but I like three jalapenos diced with the onions and garlic
I LOVE me some jalapeno! Great suggestion! -Krissy
I substituted oats for the bread crumbs…my boys loved it!
I have ground Thyme and fresh in the garden. Which do you recommend and how much? Thank you.
I always prefer fresh over ground. I used dried thyme in my original recipe. I think you could get away with a couple teaspoons, especially if you really like thyme. Enjoy! -Krissy
Thank you. I’ll grab some from the garden.
Best meatloaf recipe EVAH !
I am making your recipe right now! The only change I made is, using splenda brown sugar! I am hoping it won’t hurt the recipe! Will let you know how it came out.
I sautéed my onions in my bacon fat I cooked off to add to my meatloaf. Not to crispy not to chewy. I cut up the bacon in very small pieces to add to my meatloaf. I also went half and half for the topping with bbq sauce. My family and friends loved it.
Thank you!
all of that recipe sounds deliciousbut I make mine a little spicy also and with a brown gravy instead of this tomatosauce, but I like it both ways.the Brown Gravy Sauce I would use cream of mushroom cream of celery cream of chicken whatever soup mix that you can find oh, and I also add Lipton Onion Soup mix to the meat along with the other ingredients. and I cook mine at 400 degrees for about an hour sometimes 425 for an hour. I have also put it in a copper Chef pan on the grill with wood chips and cooked it for about an hour to get this smoke flavoring turned out with a crispy bottom and a moist top pour grease off halfway through and I also use lean ground chuck I prefer the 73 percent lean over the 80 because there’s not enough fat content in the 80% lean and if I use the 80% lean I will add some olive oil or little more fat content just for flavoring which I will get probably from my sauteed onions bell peppers celery and possibly sometimes carrot finely grated which is mixed in with the meat before cooking the meatloaf
Made this recipe tonight and it was amazing!!!! I did tweet some of the ingredients became of my husbands likes. Used low sodium beef broth instead of milk and for the topping switched the ketchup with steak sauce. Really delicious and will use this recipe again!
As a child, I hated meatloaf. This is one of the most delicious ground beef recipes I ever tasted. It’s nice and moist while still being firm. The flavor is great without the sauce and the sauce is amazing! It’s now my go to meatloaf recipe.
Krissy,
From Nagi’s Tin Eats; she says to grate the onion into the Panko bread crumbs. It could be worth considering
I love Nagi’s site! I’ll have to try that next time!
I love meatloaf and I want to try your recipe. I’m used to having green or red bell peppers in mine. Can I use them in this recipe?
Sure can. I would throw them in with the onions to soften them a bit and be sure to chop them up real small.