Easy Meatloaf Recipe
Say what you may about meatloaf, but it truly is an easy and filling dish. But what if I told you that it could be easier? Usually, meatloaf takes some early prep, due to the amount of time it takes to cook. However, My Easy Meatloaf Recipe can have dinner on the table from start to finish in 30 minutes!
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Easy Meatloaf Recipe
It doesn’t get much better than comfort food on a busy evening, does it?
When it comes to comfort food, you may roll your eyes, but meatloaf is definitely on the list.
Whether it’s made with ground beef or ground turkey, ketchup or Worcestershire sauce, everyone has their own version, often passed down for generations.
Meatloaf is a hearty, dense dish made from meat, veggies, and usually a binding filler such as breadcrumbs or oats.
The combination of ingredients is completely up to you! Create a meatloaf that your whole family will enjoy, based on everyone’s likes and dislikes.
One of the reasons people shy away from making meatloaf is the amount of time it takes to cook.
But what if I said there was a version of meatloaf that can be on the table in 30 minutes? Yes, you read that right.
Instead of using a large loaf pan, which is the reason for the long cook time, try using muffin pans or miniature loaf pans.
Not only will you cut the cooking time in half, but you’ll also be able to make individual portions that are easy to serve, and let’s face it, pretty cute.
Ingredients for Easy Meatloaf Recipe
- Meat: You’ll want some meat with fat in it, but not an overabundance of fat. This helps maintain some moisture to keep your meatloaf juicy, but not swimming in grease. Any ground meat will do, but keep in mind, beef will have a bit more flavor than, say, ground turkey, so be sure to season well if you venture away from beef.
- Filler: Most meatloaf recipes include a filler or binding agent. Whether it’s to make sure your meatloaf stretches or for texture, fillers really do contribute to making a meatloaf taste great and stay in one piece. Traditional filler ideas include breadcrumbs or oats, but to keep this dish lower carb I ofter use ground pork rinds. You can use your imagination and use whatever you have on hand. Just make sure you follow the recipe and don’t skimp on the binding ingredients, otherwise, your meatloaf will fall apart.
- Meatloaf Seasoning: Without seasoning, meatloaf would probably come across a little bland. Just like hamburgers taste better with proper seasoning, meatloaf needs a little pick-me-up, too!
Garlic and onion are always a good jumping-off point. From there, any seasonings will do. You may have special beef seasonings that you use for grilling that could contribute some tasty flavors, or you can use the spices you have on-hand.
After picking spices, decide if you’d like barbecue sauce, ketchup and/or Worcestershire sauce include in the mixture and to top it off halfway through cooking.
Personally, I love bottled Stubbs barbecue sauce for that added kick and the brand G Hughes sugar free sauce when I want to lower my carbohydrates.
How to Make Meatloaf
If you want a meal to get your kids involved in making, meatloaf should be your jam.
You practically toss all the ingredients together, mix it up (using your hands, which is why kids love it!) but only until combined or your loaf will be too dense.
Then press the meat mixture directly into the muffin tins or mini loaf pans.
Definitely some kid-friendly prep!
Sides to Serve and Variations to Try
Side dishes for meatloaf are pretty simple. Mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower are always a hit, truly hitting all the comfort food columns, and a vegetable will round out your food groups.
Your vegetable options are abundant, but some tasty options include roasted asparagus or Brussel sprouts, green beans, or even a light salad.
- Baked Zucchini Squash Casserole dish
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Green Bean Potato Salad
If you need to switch it up a little, you can put a side dish directly in your meatloaf! Try adding a layer of filling in the middle.
Some favorites include leftover potatoes or even macaroni and cheese. You can take comfort food to a whole new level!
To add a layer of filling, just put the meat mixture in the bottom 1/3 of the muffin tin, add your filler, then top with more meat! Super simple, plus it adds a special surprise to your meatloaf that is sure to make it a hit.
How Long Do You Bake Meatloaf?
The next time you want to make meatloaf, you may be wondering how long to bake it.
Well, my recipe will have your meatloaf on the table after 20 minutes. It’s quite amazing how you can make meatloaf so quickly with the right recipe!
Low Carb Tips
If you want to lower your carb intake there are a few tips that I do when making this meatloaf. For the filler use toasted low carb bread and pulse in a food processor or blender. Pork rinds also are a good bread alternative.
Keep this meal sugar-free by using a BBQ sauce that is made without sugar. I like the Ray’s brand of BBQ sauce.
For your side dish, try this “mock” mashed potato recipe with cauliflower! It’s a delicious new family favorite! Using Cauliflower instead of potatoes!!
Easy Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1 onion chopped about 1/2 cup
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup bread crumbs old fashioned rolled oats, bread crumbs or ground pork rinds for low carb version
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 cups your favorite prepared barbecue sauce divided
Instructions
- Pre-heat over to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, garlic, bread or oats, milk, egg and seasonings. Mix well.
- Add 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and mix thoroughly.
- Form meat into muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes top with additional bbq sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
This post was first published June, 2013. I have since updated photos and added new content June, 2020.
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A huge success and new fan favorite right out of the gate! Now kids will expect this regularly like Taco Tuesdays. Not mushy, came out fully cooked, not dry either, very juicy. I used Panko bread crumbs & Kinder’s mild bbq sauce. For 2 lbs of ground beef (yielded about 18 meatloaf muffins), I used 2 eggs (vs 1.3 per ratio), about 1.5 cups panko and was conservative on bbq sauce in the mix. I prefer adding sauce to the top after 10 mins in the oven and then everyone can add more to taste on their plates. Will be browsing your recipes for more quick and easy ones. Thank you!
Thank you so much for stopping by! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, and thrilled it got a thumbs up from the kids 🙂
Mushy mess. So disappointed because I was in a rush to make dinner for the kids, thinking 20 min would be perfect but its barley ready at 40 min now.
I’m so sorry, Shelly. After reading this, I made it again for my family using my recipe card, and I see where the problem may have been. My instructions were not clear on when and where to add the BBQ sauce. I’ve updated the recipe card for clarification.
Mine have been in the oven for 40mins. They’re up to temp but SO mushy it still seems like raw ground beef. Idk what I did wrong, they smell fantastic but idk if anyone is gonna want to eat a meatloaf that isn’t firm. I saw the comment below about potato flakes and that could probably solve the issue. I used the oats.
Hi Lauren. It should be tender, but not mushy. The only thing I can think that might be the issue is there was too much water in the sauce. I’ll be retesting with different bbq sauce to see if I get a different outcome.
Followed the recipe exactly and they were so soft and mushy even after cooking them longer. They were not firm like the photos. Is it really supposed to have 1 1/2 cups of bbq sauce? It seemed like way too much.
Oh, I’m sorry Marisa. Some bbq sauces are more watery than others. I think I need to add some tips and brand recommendations. I’ll work on that. Thank you for letting me know.
this was the best and easiest thing I’ve made in a very long time
Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed this meatloaf. Thank you for commenting!
inused to be able to edit the serving size now it won’t let me anymore. I have 5 of us… 2 of them are men who like to eat so I always put in 2lbs of beef and I think I would put in 8 or 9 servings so I’m not sure how much milk or oats I need to add since it won’t let me change the settings.
Hi Kim, thank you for bringing the recipe card to my attention. I’ll look to see if there is a setting that will allow readers to change the serving size. In this case I would double the ingredients and use 3 lbs of ground beef to feed your family.
It tasted good but wasn’t firm at all 🙁 What did I do wrong?
Hi Aiko, the egg helps with binding the ingredients, so unless you forgot to add it, the only thing I can think of is that you didn’t let it cool long enough before removing them from the pan.
What is the milk for!?
It’s added in with the meat mixture. I updated the recipe card.
The mini size was so perfect now that it is just my husband and me at home. We froze some for another meal and they make a great lunch too!
What a brilliant way to serve meatloaf! My entire family LOVED these individual ones! THe flavor was excellent.
Now that we are empty nesters, I’m always on the look out for recipes that will prepare several meals for us but are freezable. These were not only easy, but delicious and I fear we didn’t freeze as many as I’d hoped!
Such a yummy recipe! The whole family loved it. Love the mini size. I even freeze some leftovers for later!
I love the idea of muffin pan meatloaf because it makes it easier to pack lunches for leftovers! And normally they dry out quickly but these are so moist!!
My kids love the mini size of these meatloaves. Great dinner staple!
I do love me a good meatloaf– SO GOOD!
Love making these in cupcake tins…great for leftovers.
So handy to have! Thanks, Lynn!
I hadn’t made meatloaf in ages, so I gave this a try. Made it in smaller loaves so everyone could take what they wanted. Easy to make and the family loved it! I used the oats, but mom always used instant potato flakes in hers. I might try that next.
I don’t know about the cauliflower thing but if it stands up to the reviews it’s a “Gotta Try” recipe
I use potato flakes as the binder
Hi Peggy! I’ve never tried that, but now I’m intrigued!
I love the individual portions because I would not be able to stop eating this!
These are SO GOOD! Really easy to take to lunch too!
These are perfect, I bet you could even freeze them after forming them in the muffin tin and then pop them in and bake them! The whole family will love these!
That’s a great idea for cutting the cooking time and it looks so good for feeding kids too.
I really need to try this. I have never made meatloaf but I think I will have to now.
This is a simple recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
These little muffin tin meatballs look awesome!! I love the idea of small bite size portions. Seems like they would be great for on the go as well as pot lucks. Will give them a go on Sunday, thanks!
wow you make it look so delicious..love the photography too!
I love the mini meatloaves! Simple to make, and perfect for kids.
Love the idea of cooking the meatloaf in muffin tins. I too add filler to my meatloaf.
Muffin size is easy to pack for lunch too!