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Country Meatloaf

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Country Meatloaf

You will love serving this delicious and tender country meatloaf to your family.  This is the perfect comfort food for the cold weather, or if you live in California, cooler weather.

Ok.  Ok.  I know what you’re thinking…my kids won’t like it, or my husband won’t like it, or I won’t like it.  I get it.  I’ve had bad meatloaf before.  Meatloaf got a bad rap from places serving rock-hard, tasteless meatloaf.

I am going to share with you the secret to a meatloaf that is tender, flavorful, and heartwarmingly good.  It’s the definition of comfort food.

Photo of country meatloaf.

Meatloaf so good, you’ll want seconds.

Tips to a Easy, Tender, and Flavorful Country Meatloaf

While this recipe has many ingredients, it is actually quite easy to make.  Just make sure that you take out all of the ingredients and have them ready to go.  It goes quickly if you are organized ahead of time.

You can prepare this dish a day ahead.  Prepare the meatloaf following the instructions.  Cover with foil.  Refrigerate overnight.  Then, on the day you plan to cook the meatloaf, take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you bake it.  Otherwise, you might need to add a little on the cooking time.

Steps to the most tender and delicious Meatloaf you’ll ever have:

  • In a large bowl, add the ground beef.  Make sure that you are using a ground beef with 20% fat.  Lean beef results in a tougher meat.  Stir in the eggs.

Tip:  I like to crack each egg in a small bowl before adding it to the beef mixture.  In that way, if there is something wrong with an egg, you can just toss it out.

Ground beef and eggs.

  • In a food processor or by using your hands, rip the bread and muffins into small pieces. Pulse or rip until you have coarse pieces.  Toss the freshly made breadcrumbs with the dried breadcrumbs and add to the meat mixture.

I used my hands to rip up the bread pieces.  This will give me a rustic looking finished product.

Photo of bread crumbs and ground beef.

  • In a small pan, melt the butter on low-medium heat.  Add the onions.  Cook until the onions begin to soften. Remove from heat.  Add the onions to the meat mixture.

Photo of onions being added to the meatloaf mixture.

  • Gently stir into the meat mixture, the heavy cream, 1 cup of the ketchup, salt, celery salt, dried parsley, dried dill, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese. Do not over mix. It will toughen the meatloaf.

Photo of adding cream to meatloaf mixture.

  • Fit the mixture into a 10 by 15 inch baking dish, or divide the mixture into two smaller loaf pans or baking dishes or your choice.

I prefer this large (10 by 15 inch) clear glass baking dish.  It makes for a pretty presentation, the meatloaf is easier to cut and serve, and it is easy to clean after.  What’s not to like?

Photo of unbaked meatloaf.

For the Topping:

  • In a small bowl, combine ½ cup of the ketchup with the mustard, and brown sugar. Spread on the meat mixture.
Photo of unbaked country meatloaf.

Can’t wait to bake this thing. It’s going to smell so good!

  • Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour.
Photo of a serving of country meatloaf.

A generous serving of meatloaf, please!

I like t0 serve this mouthwatering meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes.  However, other potatoes (such as a Baked  Potato) will work well as a side dish.  Additional great side dish ideas are the Buttered Corn, and Mushroom Sauce.

Photo of country meatloaf served with a generous portion of mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and creamed corn.

Meatloaf served with a generous portion of mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and creamed corn.

Photo of meatloaf served with a generous portion of mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and creamed corn.
Print

The Best Classic Meatloaf Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 Lbs Ground Beef (20% fat works best)
  • 6 Eggs
  • 1/2 Cup Dried Bread Crumbs
  • 4 Slices White Sandwich Bread
  • 3 English Muffins
  • 1 Cup Chopped Sweet Yellow Onions
  • 2 Tbsps Butter
  • 2 Cups Heavy Cream or Half and Half
  • 1 1/2 Cups Ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp Salt
  • 1/2 Tsp Celery Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
  • 1 Tbsp Dried Dill Weed
  • 1 Tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 Cup grated Parmigianino Reggiano cheese or Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
  • 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, add the ground beef. Stir in the eggs.  

  2. In a food processor or by using your hands, rip the bread and muffins into small pieces. Pulse or rip until you have coarse pieces. Toss the freshly made breadcrumbs with the dried breadcrumbs and add to the meat mixture.  

  3. In a small pan, melt the butter on low-medium heat. Add the onions. Cook until the onions begin to soften. Remove from heat. Add to the meat mixture. 

  4. Gently stir into the meat mixture, the heavy cream, 1 cup of the ketchup, salt, celery salt, dried parsley, dried dill, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese. Do not over mix. It will toughen the meatloaf. 

  5. Fit the mixture into a 10 by 15 inch baking dish, or divide the mixture into two smaller loaf pans or baking dishes or your choice.  

  6. For the topping: combine ½ cup of the ketchup with the mustard, and brown sugar in a small bowl.  Spread on the meat mixture.

  7. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour.   

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#CountryMeatloaf

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