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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Quick and Easy Classic Meatloaf

    Published: Mar 6, 2021, Last Modified: June 20, 2022 by Jeri - This site uses cookies - See the privacy policy linked in the footer - This post may contain affiliate links - This blog generates income via ads

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Easy Classic Meatloaf Recipe is an updated version of the more traditional meatloaf. This meatloaf is made with oatmeal, is super moist, and full of flavor. The sweet but tangy sauce is the real show-stopper here. It has so much flavor; it's a party for your tastebuds.

    PIN the recipe to try it later!

    A slice of delicious homemade meatloaf that is tender and moist, covered with a sticky tangy sauce for glaze, served with green beans. this …

    This recipe is another one of our family's favorites that we keep in our dinner rotation. My daughter loves this recipe so much she has even requested to have it for her birthday dinner! It is simple to put together, using ingredients you probably already have on hand in your pantry.

    Jump to:
    •  Ingredients for Classic Meatloaf
    • How To Make Classic Meatloaf
    • Variations
    • FAQ section
    • What to do with leftovers?
    • What side dishes go with Classic Meatloaf?
    • Try these other dinner recipes:
    • 📋 Recipe
    • More Recipes
    • 💬 Comments

     Ingredients for Classic Meatloaf

    • 2 pounds of ground beef. I use lean ground beef.
    • 1 Onion. I use ½ red and ½ yellow onions. Green onions would taste great too.
    • Garlic. I use 4 cloves. You could substitute 2 teaspoon garlic powder.
    • 1 cup of rolled oats. This is used as a binder to hold the meatloaf together. You could substitute bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, cooked rice, or chunks of bread.
    • 2 Eggs. Eggs help bind the meat together, as well as add flavor, richness, and moisture. You could substitute olive oil, mayonnaise, egg replacement, or a flax egg or chia seeds.
    • Salt and Pepper. For flavor.
    • ½ cup of coconut sugar. You could substitute raw sugar, cane sugar, or brown sugar.
    • ¾ cup of ketchup. I use organic ketchup.
    • 2 tablespoon of soy sauce. I use low sodium soy sauce.
    • 2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Gives the sauce flavor.
    • ½ cup of BBQ sauce. Dresses up the flavor even more. Use your favorite brand or homemade sauce.
    • 1 tablespoon dry mustard. Provides the tangy flavor. Use 2 tablespoon of prepared mustard if you don't have dry mustard powder.
    • 1 cup of hot water.
    A classic meatloaf made with oatmeal, shaped into a traditional meatloaf shape on a plate, with a sprig of parsley beside it for color

    How To Make Classic Meatloaf

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • In a large bowl, mix 2 pounds of ground beef, ½ yellow onion, ½ red onion, finely chopped, 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
    • Add in 1 cup of rolled oats, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
    • Mix well, then shape into a loaf shape. Then place in a cast iron pot or large baking dish.
    • Cover and place in the oven for 1 hour.
    • Next, to a medium-size pot, add ½ cups of coconut sugar (or brown sugar), ¾ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup of BBQ sauce, 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 1 cup HOT water.
    • Using a whisk, mix all ingredients until smooth.
    • Heat on stove on medium heat until hot and thickened slightly.
    • After meatloaf has been cooking for 1 hour, I use a turkey baster to suck out any grease from around the meat. I then pour the sauce on top of the meatloaf and place it back in the oven, covered, for an additional 20 minutes. The sauce will carmelize as it cooks, and turns out SO good.
    • The meatloaf will be cooked when the internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and spoon sauce over meatloaf to serve.
    • Enjoy!
    Meatloaf mixture with meat and eggs and onion, getting mixed with a wooden spoon
    A classic meatloaf made with oatmeal, shaped into a traditional meatloaf shape on a plate, with a sprig of parsley beside it for color
    Delicious sticky tangy sauce for meatloaf glaze gently boiling on a pot on the stove, just before it gets poured over the meatloaf
    Traditional and classic meatloaf made with oatmeal and a tangy sticky sauce going into the oven to bake in a casserole pot
    A slice of delicious homemade meatloaf made with oatmeal, garlic, and onions, served with a tangy sticky glaze
    A slice of delicious homemade meatloaf served on a plate with jasmine rice and green beans and yellow beans

    Variations

    • Instead of oatmeal, use breadcrumbs, bread soaked in milk, or cooked rice.
    • Use egg whites instead of the entire egg.
    • Instead of dry mustard, use prepared mustard.
    • Use ground turkey instead of ground beef.

    FAQ section

    What is the secret to moist meatloaf?

    Use high-fat meat. The leaner the meat, the dryer the meatloaf will be. Therefore, use higher-fat beef, at least 15%. For a meatloaf made with turkey, consider mixing some ground pork to achieve a moist, tender meatloaf.

    Don't skip adding the eggs, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, and barbecue sauce. They not only add flavor, but they also help make the meat really juicy.

    Give the meatloaf space to cook. I know that traditionally you baked meatloaf in a loaf pan, but that results in a brick of meat. So instead, using a cast-iron pot or larger baking dish will leave room for the outside to cook nicely and for the sauce to caramelize around the entire meatloaf perfectly. Yum!

    How do you store it properly?

    Refrigerate cooked meatloaf in an airtight container or wrap with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. As long as it is properly stored, meatloaf will last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

    What to do with leftovers?

    • Meatloaf sandwich.
    • Leftover meatloaf spaghetti (just add tomato sauce to broken up meatloaf).
    • Meatloaf tacos.
    • Fried rice with meatloaf.

    What side dishes go with Classic Meatloaf?

    • Mashed Potatoes.
    • Instant Pot Rice.
    • Crispy oven-roasted potatoes
    • The Best Spaghetti Squash In 8 Minutes In Instant Pot
    • Salad
    • Vegetables, such as green and yellow beans, asparagus, steamed carrots.

    Try these other dinner recipes:

    • How To Make Stuffed Bell Peppers - So Easy
    • How To Make Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
    • Perfect Oven-Baked Cod Fillet In Shrimp and Mushroom Sauce
    • How To Make Easy Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells - With Spinach
    • The Best Spaghetti Squash In 8 Minutes In Instant Pot

    If you’ve tried this Easy Classic Meatloaf or any other recipe, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!

    You can also Follow Me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Would you please tag me in your photos @windingcreek_ranch? I would love to see your pictures!

    📋 Recipe

    A slice of delicious homemade meatloaf that is tender and moist, covered with a sticky tangy sauce for glaze, served with green beans.

    Best Easy Classic Meatloaf With Oatmeal

    This Easy Classic Meatloaf Recipe is an updated version of the more traditional meatloaf.  This meatloaf is made with oatmeal, is super moist, and full of flavor.  The sweet but tangy sauce is the real show-stopper here.  It has so much flavor, it's a party for your tastebuds.
    5 from 24 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: ground beef, meat
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 383kcal
    Author: windingcreekranch

    Ingredients

    For The Easy Classic Meatloaf

    • 2 pounds ground beef
    • ½ yellow onion finely chopped
    • ½ red onion finely chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
    • 1 cup rolled oats
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper

    For The Tangy Sticky Sauce

    • ½ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
    • ¾ cup ketchup
    • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • ½ cup barbecue sauce of your choice
    • 1 tablespoon dry mustard
    • 1 cup HOT water

    Instructions

    Instructions For Making Easy Classic Meatloaf

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • In a large bowl, mix 2 pounds of ground beef, ½ yellow onion, ½ red onion, finely chopped, 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
    • Add in 1 cup of rolled oats, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
    • Mix well, then shape into a loaf shape.
    • Then place in a cast iron pot or large baking dish. Cover and place in the oven for 1 hour.

    Instructions For Making The Sauce

    • To a medium-size pot, add ½ cups of coconut sugar (or brown sugar), ¾ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup of BBQ sauce, 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 1 cup HOT water.
    • Using a whisk, mix all ingredients until smooth. Heat on stove on medium heat until hot and thickened slightly.
    • After meatloaf has been cooking for 1 hour, I use a turkey baster to suck out any grease from around the meat.
    • I then pour the sauce on top of the meatloaf and place it back in the oven, covered, for an additional 20 minutes.  The sauce will carmelize as it cooks, and turns out SO good.
    • The meatloaf will be cooked when the internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and spoon sauce over meatloaf to serve.
    • Enjoy!

    Notes

    Nutritional information is approximate and is meant as a guideline only

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1grams | Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 827mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g

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    Comments

    1. Erin Gierhart

      July 30, 2021 at 3:25 pm

      5 stars
      This tastes just like the meatloaf my mom used to make! Brings me back to childhood.

      Reply

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