The Best Ever Meatloaf

My Best Ever Meatloaf got its start when I was a teenager. My husband and I are high school sweethearts, we have been together since we were 17 years old.

Like most high school couples we would hang out after school.  Sometimes it was my responsibility to make dinner for the family after school.

Depending on what was for dinner meant how soon I had to start making it. Like meatloaf needed to start sooner than most meals did.

I'm sure my husband can testify for me that it seems like we had meatloaf all the time. My dad liked it one way and my mother liked it another.

Dad used to tell me "someday you are going to make some man a good wife", it's funny because I can remember my husband standing in the kitchen watching me make meatloaf many afternoons.

After we were married it took me a few years before I would make meatloaf for him, I was tired of it.

I think it might have even been by my husband's request for me to make meatloaf for dinner. That's when I started playing around with my recipe.

 Brown Sugar, Ketchup, and Mustard Glaze

This meatloaf would be good on its own without any sauce, but you can't have The Best Ever Meatloaf without the sauce.

In a small bowl, I mixed 1 cup ketchup (I use Heinz), 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce until the brown sugar was dissolved.  Setting aside.

Classic Recipe

For some reason whenever I make meatloaf I can hear Randy from A Christmas Story saying, "Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double beatloaf".

I'm not sure why that runs in my head. Maybe it's because my husband and I are always repeating movie lines or song lyric's to the kids.

Anyway, here is how I make The Best Ever Meatloaf.

Start by preheating your oven to 350- degrees and spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Using a large bowl.  Combine 3 ½ pounds ground beef, 1 medium sized onion that was diced,  and 1 tablespoon minced garlic.

As much as I love garlic I don't like my hands smelling like garlic for days. So I buy jarred garlic that is already minced for me.

This is the little cheats I do to make my cooking go a little faster, even though mincing a garlic clove would give me more flavor.

Add 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (helps bring out the flavor of the beef more), 2 eggs, and 1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs.

Of course, like most meat I cook I added pepper and seasoning salt, this I'm saying do to your taste. Just be careful with the seasoning salt because Worcestershire sauce already has salt in it unless you have low sodium Worcestershire sauce.

Now back to that sauce, I'll take about ¼ cup of the sauce and add to the meat mixture. Setting the remainder aside for the end.

Finishing touches

With all the ingredients in my large bowl, I removed my rings and with clean hands got to mixing. Sometimes cooking calls for what God gave you to use and for this it was my hands.

Once all is mixed well spread the meatloaf into the prepared 9 x 13 baking dish.

Taking the remainder of the sauce and spreading on top of the meatloaf then cover with foil.

Place into a 350-degree oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Oven temps may vary. Depending on how fast your oven cooks will decide how long it should be in for.

Yum

After the many years of debate between my parents on how to make meatloaf, this is my favorite way to make it.

To go along with this meatloaf you might want to try my Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe.

Hope you enjoy ~Jenny

Here are other My Creative Manner recipes you may like:

• Wet Burritos
• Salisbury Steak
• Meatballs
• Instant Pot Beef Tips