By Victoria Heerschap
Meatloaf is a timeless, American classic. Whether frosted with a layer of mashed potatoes, glazed in a spicy ketchup, or smothered in bacon, meatloaf endures as a family favorite. To me, a basic meatloaf with a shiny ketchup glaze takes me right back to my childhood at my grandmother’s house. Enjoy your loaf with a heap of garlic mashed potatoes and green beans for a mouthwatering, down-home dinner.
Classic Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ½ – 2 lbs. ground beef*
1 egg*
3/4 cup bread crumbs*
1/4 cup white onion – minced
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
For the glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, onion, worcestershire, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Form loaf by hand and place in a glass cooking dish.
Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. While the loaf is cooking, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, and dry mustard together in a small bowl until combined. After 45 minutes, remove the loaf from the oven and apply the glaze. Raise the oven temp to 400° and cook the loaf for another 10 – 15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160°. Remove from the oven and let the loaf rest in the cooking dish for 10 minutes, then remove to a cutting board and slice.
*80/20 ground beef is recommended. If you would prefer leaner (90/10) beef, please make the following adjustments: Use 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, and reduce the bread crumbs by 3 tbsp.