Easier Than Your Mamas Meatloaf Recipes

BETTER THAN MOM'S MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Combine onion, bell pepper, milk, eggs, garlic, 2 tablespoons ketchup, parsley, 3 teaspoons Worcestershire, thyme, and Dijon in a large bowl and mix well. Stir in bread crumbs. Add ground sirloin, salt, and pepper; mix until just combined. Form mixture into a loaf shape and fit into the prepared pan.
• Combine remaining ketchup with balsamic vinegar and remaining 1 teaspoon Worcestershire in a small bowl. Mix until well combined and spread over the top of the meatloaf.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant read thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. The longer it sits, the easier it will be to slice.

BETTER THAN MOM'S SWEET AND SAVORY MEATLOAF

Steps:

• PREP: Place oven rack on middle setting and preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using a less fatty meat, use a non-stick cooking spray to lightly coat the inside of your loaf pan. (If using ground beef, it is unnecessary to spray or grease your pan.). Lightly press the separate 2 tbsp of the packed brown sugar into the bottom of your loaf pan. Put like ingredients into prep bowls for ease in mixing later - this helps when you'll only have one hand (especially at least the dry ingredients of bread crumbs, salt, and pepper). Hint: thaw meat fully and bring cold ingredients (eggs, pasta sauce, sauce ingredients, etc) to room temperature prior to combining - this will aid in even cooking and correct cook time. (Waiting for items to reach room temperature is the bulk of your prep time, so your actual "work" prep time v. "waiting" prep time is about 5 min of work and 15-20 min of waiting.).
• SAUCE: Stir the remaining tbsp of brown sugar and the rest of the sauce ingredients in a bowl until combined. Sauce should be slightly runny. With a spatula, lightly drizzle some rows of the sauce over the brown sugar in the bottom of the loaf pan. Do not fully cover. Set the remaining majority of the sauce aside.
• LOAF: In a small skillet, sweat the diced onion over low heat. Half way through, add the garlic. (The onions and garlic do not cook inside the loaf and therefore you must heat them before.) Do not let them brown or carmelize. In a large mixing bowl, gently break up the meat with one hand (keep your other hand free and clean to hold the bowl and add in your other ingredients). When they are cool enough, slowly add in the onions and garlic until completely folded. Then add the pasta sauce, parsley, basil, garlic powder, and marjoram until blended. Next, you will alternate combining the dry ingredients (bread crumbs, salt, pepper combination) and half of the beaten eggs. Repeat dry ingredients and eggs until fully mixed. Shape mixture into a loaf and transfer it into your loaf pan. Gently press the loaf down and against the sides until you have a flat top service (as the meat cooks, it will pull away from the sides and form the classic "loaf" shape"). Pour the majority of the sauce over the top of your loaf and spread it evenly until covered (I like to keep just a tiny bity of sauce to drizzle over the loaf when there is about 10 min of cook time left, but you can add it all at this point if you like).
• Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, checking occassionally. Add more sauce when and if necessary. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

MEATLOAF, BETTER THAN MOM'S

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly spray a 8 x 4 x 2 1/2 inches glass loaf pan.
• Knead together the ground chuck and ground turkey, tomato soup (do not add water), dried minced onion, the oatmeal, the egg, and salt and black pepper.
• Mold the meat mixture into a loaf to fit your pan.
• Place the meatloaf in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.
• Carefully remove the meatloaf and turn off the oven. Drain any access fat immediately if you wish.
• Stir together the ketchup and brown sugar and use it to glaze the top of the meatloaf.
• Return the meatloaf to the oven under a 500 degree broiler (or high setting) for 5 to 8 minutes. Watch carefully as it will burn quickly once the topping begins to caramelize.
• Remove when browned to your liking, let stand about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.