Meatloaf is a humble comfort food that is fabulous when you have a great meatloaf recipe to start with. Our recipe is simple, juicy and crazy delicious. We love freezing the leftovers or use them in sandwiches for the next day.

Best Juicy Meatloaf Recipe and Leftover Meatloaf Sandwich on cutting board

Easy Meatloaf Recipe

We’ve had many different meatloaf dinners over the years and loved every single delicious meatloaf bite. It’s a classic dish that is loved by so many but doesn’t get enough love when it comes to serving it to friends or at dinner parties. But we’re here to say that meatloaf is awesome and deserves to be served at parties and not just at your average everyday weeknight meal.

Our favorite meatloaf recipe is this one that has lots of meaty flavor from the Worcestershire sauce, garlic and spices. What makes it super duper juicy is the onions, egg, ketchup and milk. It’s the perfect blend and combination of spices and moisture that results in a fabulous slice of juicy meatloaf. Be generous and slice a nice thick slice and serve it with your favorite veggies or salad. Every bite will make you crave another bite and before you  know it, your thick slice is all finished. Time for seconds if there’s any left!

Video:  Best Juicy Meatloaf Recipe:

Best Juicy Meatloaf Recipe and Leftover Meatloaf Sandwich on a glass casserole

How to Make Meatloaf Flavorful and Keto Friendly

Here’s some tips for making the meat light and fluffy and some options for the low carb keto diet

  • You can use crushed saltine crackers instead of bread crumbs.
  • Making meatloaf lower carb. If you want to make it keto friendly, use crushed pork rinds. Crushed pork rinds definitely makes it keto friendly.
  • Don’t use all the onions if you want to keep it as keto friendly as possible. Use onion powder to replace the chopped onions.
  • For the sauce, use a keto friendly tomato sauce instead of ketchup.
  • When placing the meat in the baking dish, don’t pack it down too tight. If you pack the meat down too dense, it will cook hard and dense. We just lightly press it into the edges of the pan, then smooth out the top, that’s it!
  • To find the perfect proportion of salt and seasonings try this technique. After you’ve mixed the beef mixture together well, cook up a small piece on a frying pan and taste it. From there, you can make adjustments before you bake the meatloaf. This is a fool proof way to make sure that your meatloaf is perfectly seasoned to your palate. Best of all, you don’t have to wait until it’s all cooked to know if it’s seasoned enough for you.
  • All recipe details are in the recipe box below

Freezing Leftover Meatloaf and Re-Heating Tips

You can easily freeze meatloaf! Make sure the meatloaf is completely cool. Pre-slice it in the thickness that you want and freeze those slices in an airtight bag or container. Before serving, take it out of the freeze and allow it to thaw completely. You can re-heat it in the microwave or lightly sear it on a lightly oiled pan.

Leftover meatloaf recipes and more

Best Juicy Meatloaf Recipe and Leftover Meatloaf Sandwich | @bestrecipebox

Favorite Meatloaf Recipe

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
The sauce is great so if you want extra to spoon over the meatloaf when serving, make an extra batch!
4.63 from 16 votes

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Ingredients

FOR THE MEATLOAF:

  • 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) ground beef , pork, chicken or turkey
  • 1/2 cup (54 g) bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup diced onion , about 1/4 medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) kosher salt , or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 cup (60 g) ketchup or tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

SAUCE

  • 1/2 cup (120 g) ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) bbq sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) smoked paprika powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) chipotle powder (optional, will make the sauce spicy)

Instructions 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an approx. 8.5″x4.5″ bread loaf pan or baking dish.
    Oven knobs
  • In a large bowl combine all the meatloaf ingredients (beef, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, salt, pepper, ketchup or tomato sauce, and milk).
    Cook a small piece of the meat at the point to taste for seasonings. If you want to add more salt/pepper, add it now before baking.
    Mixing meatloaf ingredients in a bowl
  • Transfer the mixture to baking dish and gently smooth out the top, but do not press down too much on the meat. You don’t want the meat to be too dense by packing it down hard.
    Pressing meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan
  • Make the sauce: combine all the sauce ingredients (ketchup, bbq sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, smoked paprika, and chipotle) and pour over the top and top edges of the meatloaf.
    Spreading the sauce over the uncooked meatloaf
  • Bake in oven for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until the loaf is cooked through and the internal temperature is at least 160°F (71°C).
    Baked meatloaf still in the loaf pan

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 304kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 676mg, Potassium: 394mg, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 565IU, Vitamin C: 7.3mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 2.6mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 304

Also try our Healthy Recipes and 30 minute recipes. This best meatloaf recipe was originally published in 2017 and re-published with updated video.