6 secrets to getting a super moist flavorful meatloaf
Your family will love this classic comfort food. If you have not made meatloaf lately because you need a good recipe, try this incredibly moist meatloaf with a sweet, tangy, flavorful sauce.
Sweet & Tangy Meatloaf Glaze
You will love this meatloaf glaze. It is sweet and tangy deliciousness. The sauce is made using vinegar, dark brown sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire Sauce. It is fabulous! If you are not a fan, you might become one after trying this recipe with this sweet and tangy sauce.
Humble Meatloaf
Meatloaf is not very pretty on a plate, but it is so popular still. But, it is one of the country’s most iconic dishes and essential comfort foods. You can find meatloaf on every diner across America. Why? Maybe, because it reminds people of home. Meatloaf is something that was served a lot during the 1950s. Betty Crocker had a cookbook out 1958, 365 Ways to Cook Hamburger. Can you believe It included 70 recipes for meatloaf? I have lots of recent cookbooks, and you rarely see a meatloaf recipe, which is why I decided to write about this classic comfort food.
If you love cooking with a slow cooker, be sure to check out my this crockpot meatloaf recipe.
— CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS RECIPE —
Secrets to Moist Meatloaf
- Chop the vegetables into small uniform pieces. This will help them cook evenly.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients well before adding the meat. This reduces the amount of mixing necessary once you add the meat.
- Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to gently combine the meatloaf into the egg bread crumb mixture.
- Spray your hand with a cooking spray. It will help your hands not stick to the meatloaf.
- One of my secrets to this very moist meatloaf is to use a thermometer. As soon as the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven. The meat will continue cooking until it reaches around 170 degrees. DO NOT overcook it. It needs to be moist! Overcooking it will dry it out, which is probably why a lot of people do not eat meatloaf in the first place.
- If you do not have any bread crumbs, no worries! Cut one slice of bread into cubes and put the bread into a food processor. Process until crumbs. One piece of bread should make 1/4 to 3/4 cups of bread crumbs. You have to include bread crumbs. They help soak up some of the fat from the meat.
What meatloaf pan should you use?
You can prepare meatloaf in any pan as long as you are using a meat thermometer to check for doneness. The meatloaf will get done at different times when cooking it in different-sized pans. In the pictures, I use a meatloaf pan, a cupcake pan, and a cast-iron skillet. Because meatloaf is thinner in a cast-iron skillet, it will cook faster than a meatloaf pan. The con to using other pans instead of a meatloaf pan is they do not drain as well. If using a different pan to prepare meatloaf, you need to remove the grease off the meatloaf. When I use another pan, I drain the fat over the sink in a container. After draining the fat, I add the other half of sauce on it and finish cooking until it reaches 165 degrees.
If you need to cook meatloaf in a hurry, I would highly recommend using a cupcake tin.
Meatloaf Freezes Well
Most of the time I double this meatloaf recipe and make it in several different pans. The meatloaf we eat for dinner on the same day I prepare it in a meatloaf pan or my favorite way is to use my cast iron skillet.
The meatloaf I am preparing to put in the freezer I use my cupcake pan or mini meatloaf pan. I freeze the individual meatloaves in a large ziplock bag after they have completely cooled.
Ten Minutes Before Meatloaf Is Done
Ten minutes before the meatloaf is ready to come out of the oven, I remove it from the oven, drain the grease, and put the other half of the sauce on the meatloaf. I return it to the oven for another ten minutes of cooking.
Next-Day Enjoy Meat Loaf Sandwiches
Slice leftover meatloaf into 3/4 inch thick. If you want a larger piece, go for it. On a lightly greased skillet or grill pan, warm the meatloaf on both sides. If you prefer, add a slice of cheese and warm until melted. Serve between bread slices.
Moist Meatloaf Recipe Adapted From:
Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee is where my basic recipe came from although I have changed it a little over the years. I used 3 pounds of ground beef instead of 2 lbs. I also used 1/2 chopped bell pepper, 1/2 cup oats, Worcestershire Sauce, and tomato sauce instead of catsup.
For Your Convenience, Below Are The Products Used In This Post.
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission which helps keep my blog up and running but it won’t cost you a penny more).
Please see my disclosure.
- Lodge Logic L8SK3 10-1/4-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet
- Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Bakeware Meatloaf Pan Set, Reduce the Fat and Kick Up the Flavor, Bake Your Favorite Meatloaf and Let the Fat Drain Away, 2-Piece Set, 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75 inch
If you are not a Sweet & Tangy Fan, try one of these meatloaf Glazes.
Apricot-Mustard Sauce: Mix together 1 cup of apricot preserves and 1/4 cup Dijon mustard.
Cranberry Glaze: Stir together 1 cup ketchup and 1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce.
Peach-Chile Glaze: Mix together 1 cup peach preserves with 4 teaspoons Asian chili sauce with garlic.
MOIST MEATLOAF EVERY TIME
Equipment
- cast iron skillet
- oven
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ground beef
- ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
- ½ cup oats
- 1 onion very finely chopped (see picture)
- ½ bell pepper very finely chopped (see picture)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic chopped
- 1 egg beaten
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
- SAUCE
- 8 tablespoons vinegar
- 8 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Ketchup
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables into equally small pieces. Combine onion, bell pepper, Worcestershire, breadcrumbs, oats, egg, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, Montreal Steak Seasoning, and garlic.
- Fold in the ground beef.
- Shape into one large loaf or use muffin tins for individual loaves.
- Next, Add ½ of the sauce before baking.
- Bake 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes for a large loaf. About 25 to 30 minutes if using muffin tins.
- The meatloaf is done once it reaches 170 F degrees but takes it out of the oven at 165 degrees. This will keep it from drying out. Meatloaf will finish cooking.
- If using muffin tins or cast iron skillet that does not drain the grease away once you remove it from the oven.
- SAUCE
- Combine all ingredients and cook on the stove just until it starts boiling.
- Remove it from the stove and add half of the sauce to the top of the meatloaf before baking it.
- Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
After you bring the sauce to a boil, cut the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour half of the sauce over the top of the meatloaf before you bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes if using a meatloaf pan.
Be sure to add the rest of the sauce to the meatloaf 10 minutes before removing the meatloaf from the oven.
Notes
- Chop the vegetables into small uniform pieces. This will help them cook evenly.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients well before adding the meat. This reduces the amount of mixing necessary once you add the meat.
- Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to gently combine the meatloaf into the egg bread crumb mixture.
- Spray your hand with a cooking spray. It will help your hands not stick to the meatloaf.
- One of my secrets to this very moist meatloaf is to use a thermometer. As soon as the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven. The meat will continue cooking until it reaches around 170 degrees. DO NOT overcook it. It needs to be moist! Overcooking it will dry it out, which is probably why a lot of people do not eat meatloaf in the first place.
- If you do not have any bread crumbs, no worries! Cut one slice of bread into cubes and put the bread into a food processor. Process until crumbs. One piece of bread should make 1/4 to 3/4 cups of bread crumbs. You have to include bread crumbs. They help soak up some of the fat from the meat.
Nutrition
Instructions For Meatloaf Sauce
Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
After you bring the sauce to a boil, cut the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour half of the sauce over the top of the meatloaf before you bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes if using a meatloaf pan.
Be sure to add the rest of the sauce to the meatloaf 10 minutes before removing the meatloaf from the oven.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY
- Meat Loaf Casserole
- The Best Pot Roast You’ve Ever Made
- 33 Quick Ground Beef Recipes
- ONE SKILLET CHICKEN POT PIE
- BROCCOLI RICE CHEESE CASSEROLE
- SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD
- Southern Green Beans
- Green Bean Casserole
100% Free 30-page ebook Cooking Tips & Hacks including Quick and Easy Recipes
...So you can spend precious time with your family around the table enjoying a meal together.
I am going to make this for my family when they come down in May.. sounds so good.. I will let u know when I do!! I am a country girl from WV and love home cooked meals.. look forward to more recipes.. Stay Safe and God Bless
Sue,
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, Recipes For Our Daily Bread, and leaving me a comment. I am thrilled you are planning on making my moist meatloaf. It is one of the most viewed recipes on my site. My family loves the sweet and tangy sauce.
Let me know how your family enjoys it.
I hope you will follow my newsletter. https://recipesforourdailybread.com/cooking-tips-and-hacks-ebook/
My new site design should be up this week. It will be much faster and well organized. You will be able to locate recipes fast. Please visit me again!
Thank you again for stopping by my blog.
Blessings,
Diane Roark
How long do I bake them in Muffin pans?
Pat,
Thank you for stopping by to see the recipe for my moist meatloaf. This meatloaf is one of the most popular recipes on my blog. I hope you enjoy it. You need to cook the muffin tin meatloaves about 25 to 30 minutes or until it reaches 165 degrees. It will continue to cook about 5 degrees once removed from the oven.
I hope this helps.
If you do not already follow my blog, please do so here. https://recipesforourdailybread.com/press-release/
Blessings,
Diane Roark
How much Montreal seasoning to use? Thanks!
Sam,
Thank you for leaving me a comment about my Moist Meatloaf. It is one of the most popular recipes on my blog. I hope you enjoy it. Use at least a teaspoon of Montreal seasoning. I have used a couple of teaspoons and love it too.
Have a fantastic week!
Diane Roark
https://recipesforourdailybread.com/press-release/
Great recipe, it is my go to everytime I make meatloaf. I add a packet of lipton onion soup mix into it for extra flavor, I looove onions. I also put in a teaspoon of Italian seasoning into it as well. I used panko breadcrumbs, a garlic Italian herb kind.I also sometimes put a large squeeze of Sweet Baby Ray’s sweet and spicy bbq sauce in it as well along with the tomato sauce. Always a winner in my house, hungry boyfriend eats it right up!!!
Leah,
Thank you for stopping my blog, recipesforourdailybread.com and commenting on my meatloaf. We love meatloaf in my house too. My meatloaf recipe is extremely flavorful and moist. The sauce is amazing! I totally agree with your lipton onion soup mix making the meatloaf flavorful. I have used it many times. It is a great substitute when you do not want to cut up the onions and add all the other seasoning.
Join me on Facebook every Friday at 11:30 AM for Facebook live recipe video.
Thank you again for stopping by!
Blessings,
Diane Roark
Piggy-backing off of your response as I couldn’t locate a comment button. This meatloaf is amazing, delis & simple to make. Only things I changed up is I subbed ground turkey, 2 slices of whole grain bread for the breadcrumbs & used both red & green peppers. I stuffed the meatloaf with green beans. I used light brown sugar adding an extra 4 tbsps to counter the vinegar. I baked it for 2 hours. It came out so moist.
Marlene,
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by my recipe blog, Recipes For Our Daily Bread, and letting me know you tried my meatloaf. It is easy to make and super moist and flavorful. I am thrilled you tried it and thankful you let me know.
Many many blessings,
Diane Roark
I have made this now 4 times and man is it perfect! Only changes I make occasionally is using bacon to do a basket weave on top and using garlic herb bread crumbs. The first time I made it I jumped the gun and made the sauce for on top and mixed half of it into the meatloaf…..honestly that was a great mistake! Best meatloaf yet thanks for sharing!
Toaha,
You made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how much you enjoyed my meatloaf. We really enjoy it too but I never know how others feel unless they take the time to let me know. Thank you also for following Recipes for our Daily Bread. I am so excited to let you know that I am having my recipe blog redesigned. It should be complete in the next couple of weeks. It will be so much easier to find things. Please stop by and check it out in a couple of weeks and let me know what you think. I would love some feed back.
MANY MANY BLESSINGS,
Diane Roark
Thanks for that! I love it.
Definitely will try! Don’t make it much because didn’t have good recipe! But will try this one! Thx?
Anna,
I cannot wait for you to try my moist meatloaf recipe. Most days, it is the number one post on my site and has been that way for years. If you do try this meatloaf, please let me know what you think.
Thank you for checking out my blog and leaving me a comment.
Many blessings,
Diane Roakr
I LOVE this idea of putting your meatloaf in a skillet Diane. You’re amazing and great pics!!!
Dear Diane ,
I’m eager to make this crock pot meatloaf but I can’t find the directions to make it anywhere in your blog. I’m so disappointed. I do see the list of ingredients but the part “Make it” is missing. Please help. Thank you.
Made this last night for a big group of hungry boys and they ate it all while raving about it! I did make the change of using balsamic vinegar instead of regular and it really is fabulous. After it baked I drained all the drippings, got rid of the oil, which was super easy then boiled it for a few minutes to use as a gravy over mashed potatoes and meatloaf. Sooo good. Thank you.
What kind of tomato sauce do you use? Is it the canned variety that is more watery than a puree? And is the catsup for the sauce the same as tomato ketchup which is sold in a bottle? Thanks. Hoping to clarify ingredients before I try out this recipe.
If you use the cast iron skillet for cooking ,& take it out of oven at 165 degrees how long do you let it set for until it reaches the 170 degree temp?
This sounds similar to my recipe –which I love and everyone else as well. I do a couple of things differently and have a question. I saute the onions.green pepper to soften it and give it a head start cooking.
Questions: 1.what kind of bread crumbs do you use ? I usually only use the oats, and
2. what size iron skillet do you use?
I just made this for my wife and I. This was one of the best meatloaf recipes that I have ever tried. I did make a few adjustments..instead of tomato sauce I used Pace picante hot sauce (medium heat)same amount…and for the the topping sauce that called for vinegar, I used balsamic vinegar, it was a winner!! Thank you so much for helping me feed my family.
Brain,
Thank you so much for leaving me a comment and letting me know you tried my meatloaf. You made my day. You sound like a great cook. I am going to have to try the balsamic vinegar in the sauce. I am sure it is amazing!
When I make this meatloaf, I normally double it and make some smaller ones in cupcake tins. I freeze the smaller one for my son Casey who is obsessed with this meatloaf.
I am so glad your wife and you enjoyed this meatloaf.
Many blessings,
Diane Roark
recipesforourdailybread.com
ouramericantravels.com
What kind of oats do you use?
Lora,
I normally use the Old Fashion Oaks, long cooking oats. I have also used the Quick Cooking oats and could not tell a difference.
I hope you get a chance to make this meatloaf. It is truly delicious.
Blessings,
Diane Roark
Howdy I am so grateful I found your blog page, I really found you by error,
while I was looking on Bing for something else, Regardless I am
here now and would just like to say cheers for a
tremendous post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t
have time to go through it all at the minute but I
have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great
deal more, Please do keep up the excellent work.
My Mom always added a can of condensed tomato soup to her meatloaf.
Swash,
Thank so much for stopping by and commenting on my meatloaf recipe. I also adding a post on making my meatloaf in the crock-pot and how delicious and easy it was. https://recipesforourdailybread.com/2014/03/06/crock-pot-moist-meatloaf/
I am thrilled you found my blog. If you do not already, please consider following my blog. I send out a monthly newsletter with cooking tips and even a giveaway every once in a while. I would love for you to follow my blog.
Blessings,
Diane Roark
Other posts you may enjoy:
Fall Off the Bone Ribs: https://recipesforourdailybread.com/2014/05/21/fall-off-the-bone-ribs/
Smoothie: https://recipesforourdailybread.com/2014/05/07/healthy-fruit-smoothies-great-tasting/
Oatmeal Butterscotch Toffee Cookies https://recipesforourdailybread.com/2014/05/04/oatmeal-butterscotch-toffee-cookies/
M & M Mega Cookies: https://recipesforourdailybread.com/2014/04/22/m-m-mega-cookies-by-chef-caleb/
CONGRATS Diane on being featured for your amazing meatloaf on RecipeLion! So happy for you!!! Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow
Carrie,
Thanks for stopping by! RecipeLion has featured several of my recipes. I have been really blessed!
Have a great week!
Diane Roark