Beef
Classic Glazed Beef Meatloaf
★★★★½ (4.6)
A moist, tender meatloaf made with ground beef, breadcrumbs, and a tangy ketchup glaze that caramelizes in the oven into a sticky-sweet crust. This is old-fashioned comfort food that reheats just as well the next day.
- Sweet-tangy glaze caramelizes into a sticky, flavorful crust
- Freezes well both before and after baking for easy meal prep
- Classic comfort food that even picky eaters tend to love
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk and let sit for 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs soften and absorb the liquid.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, soaked breadcrumbs, eggs, diced onion, garlic, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1.5 tsp salt, and pepper.
- Mix gently with your hands just until everything is evenly combined; stop as soon as you no longer see streaks, since overmixing creates a dense, rubbery loaf.
- Turn the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet or into the loaf pan and shape it into a loaf roughly 9 by 5 inches and 2 inches thick.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and mustard to make the glaze; reserve the remaining 1/4 cup plain ketchup.
- Spread the reserved plain ketchup over the top of the loaf as a base layer.
- Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush the sweet glaze evenly over the top.
- Return to the oven and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160F, the minimum safe temperature for ground beef.
- Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing; this allows the juices to redistribute so slices hold together instead of falling apart.
- Slice into 1 inch thick pieces and serve warm, spooning any extra pan glaze over the top.
Shaping the loaf freeform on a baking sheet rather than packing it into a loaf pan lets more surface area caramelize with the glaze and helps excess fat drain away instead of pooling.
Letting the meatloaf rest before slicing is essential; cutting into it immediately causes the juices to spill out and the slices to crumble.
Nutrition (per serving)
430Calories
28gProtein
24gFat
22gCarbs
1gFiber
760mgSodium
Nutrition information is estimated and provided for convenience only.
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