Basic Meatloaf

By Florence Fabricant

Total Time
2 hours
Rating
4(220)
Comments
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Meatloaf can be casual, for a weeknight dinner, or fancy, for a Sunday feast. It can be made of turkey or beef, pork or veal. It is relatively cheap to make and, when combined with mashed potatoes, provides about the ultimate in comfort food. Whichever protein you use, though, the idea is to stretch it with a filler — bread or oatmeal, rice or crackers — and scent it with vegetables and spices. You need a basic recipe to start. Here it is.

Featured in: FOOD; Meatloaf, for the Back-to-Basics Crowd

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ½cup finely chopped raw or sauteed vegetables (onions, leeks, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.)
  • 1cup bread crumbs or other grain filler (par-cooked rice, rolled oats, mashed potatoes or soft bread)
  • 1½pounds lean ground beef
  • 1large egg
  • Dried and/or fresh herbs to taste
  • Spices or other seasoning to taste
  • Salt to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

428 calories; 24 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 384 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Mix the vegetables with the bread crumbs or other filler. Mix these ingredients thoroughly with the meat. Mix in the egg.

  3. Step 3

    Add the seasonings, taking care not to underseason the mixture. If you do not want to taste the mixture raw to check the seasonings, cook a spoonful of it in a nonstick pan for a few minutes until it loses its redness, allow it to cool slightly, then taste.

  4. Step 4

    Shape mixture into a loaf and place in shallow baking dish or pack ina four-cup loaf pan. Bake 90 minutes. Serve hot or cooled.

Ratings

4 out of 5
220 user ratings
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Comments

JAbnett

Making this by placing on a baking tray and shaping into a loaf gives a truly "roasted" flavour instead of the "steamed" result in a loaf pan. Will use that method every time. Soaking the crumbs in milk really does give moisture to the meatloaf. This is a good basic recipe.

AY

Good recipe! Used 1 lb beef, 3/4 lb lamb. Seasonings: dried oregano, thyme, paprika, nutmeg, salt/pepper (it's true, can't add too much seasoning!). Raw vegetables: 1/2 onion & old shiitake mushrooms. 90 min is too long - cut it back next time. Also, next time will try tip of moistening bread crumbs with milk.

Michael

This was delicious and simple but I would say that stating this serves 4-6 is a stretch. More like 2-3.

Pamela

This was terrific. I used 2.6 lbs of ground beef. It took 1.75 hours to cook to 160 degrees. I doubled the vegetables, diced and sauteed them first: onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms, carrot, celery. Seasonings: salt, pepper, paprika, bouquet garni, garlic powder. I mixed and cooked and tasted a bit of the loaf three times to get the seasonings strong enough. Filler: 1 cup Panko crumbs and 1/2 cup oatmeal, soaked in milk. Ketchup glaze and tomato sauce. Result: stupendous.

Pam VanD

I found this to be too mystery flavored due to too much in the way of bread crumbs. But I am faithful to Ina and will try some of her other meatloaf recipes. This one however, is out of my rotation.

Es

An excellent "basic" recipe for meatloaf. Here's what I did: sauteed a small amount of shallots, mushrooms, green pepper, and garlic (about a half cup cooked); minced a bit more raw onion; added this to 1 lb ground beef (15% fat); added panko and 1 beaten egg; added garlic powder, salt and pepper, and 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce; formed a loaf on a lightly greased cast-iron skillet. Coated with mustard and then ketchup swirls.One hour in oven (165). Basted twice with juices. Delicious.

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