Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I'll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.
Homemade Meatloaf Recipe – Best Ever!
With this easy Homemade Meatloaf Recipe, you’ll make the Best Meatloaf Ever—tasty, juicy, and doesn’t crumble when you slice it.
Secrets to the Perfect Meatloaf
When it comes to making a great meatloaf—the best ever—you’ll need to know a few secrets. Yes, ground chuck and ground pork make the best meatloaf mix because of their high-fat content. They’re also my favorite combination of meats for this recipe. But if you want to try part or all, sirloin for a lower fat content (or even ground chicken or turkey), you can still make a great meatloaf with my tips.
Why is Fat Important for Your Meatloaf?
First, the secret to a juicy meatloaf that doesn’t crumble when you slice it is the fat that’s part of your ingredients. But how do you achieve a juicy recipe with lower fat meats? Well, the secret is…bone broth!
Bone broth is high in gelatin, so it brings a much needed binding agent to the meatloaf when there is less fat in the mix. And it doesn’t matter what type of bone broth you use—beef, chicken, or turkey—it won’t affect the taste of the final dish. Plus, thanks to the bone broth, you don’t need to go overboard with the breadcrumbs, which would otherwise cut into the nice meaty taste of meatloaf.
What About Moisture in Your Meatloaf?
Second, the next secret to a juicy meatloaf that doesn’t crumble when you slice it is moisture. The fat certainly helps with this, but you need something more, especially when using lower fat meats. The bone broth helps bind the lower fat meats because it is a liquid that adds moisture in addition to gelatin. But no matter what type of meat you use, you want to make sure there is plenty of moisture mixed in with your meat.
With the traditional mix of chuck and pork, I like to use milk as my liquid, and it works great, especially full-fat milk since it adds moisture as well as additional fat. But whether you are using milk or bone broth to moisten your meat mixture, you also want to make sure that you add at least one cup of minced veggies, which can include onions (any variety), carrots, celery, and sweet bell peppers. Even jarred-chopped pimentos will work in a pinch!
Mix Your Meatloaf with a Light Hand
Once you assemble all the needed ingredients to make this meatloaf, you’ll want to make sure that your meat is cold and that you mix everything together with a very light open hand. Your hand should be in the shape of a claw—no squeezing the meat through your fingers! And just mix until everything is combined. Don’t over mix. Otherwise, you’ll get a tough meatloaf. And you don’t want that! You want a meatloaf that is going to melt in your mouth.
Shape and Bake!
Once your meat mixture is nicely combined, all you need to do is shape, glaze, and bake your meatloaf. You can shape the meat free-form, or you can use a loaf pan to shape it and then turn it out on to a baking sheet. I show you how to do this little trick in my recipe video, so be sure to watch it.
More Cooking Classes
Now that you’ve created the best ever meatloaf, watch how to make these easy chicken dinners that you can have on the table in no time!
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy (Optional Paid) - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook (Optional Paid) - Get a printed book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Homemade Meatloaf Recipe – Best Ever!
Ingredients
For the Meatloaf
- 2 pounds Ground meat mixture chuck, sirloin, pork, chicken, or turkey
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs, fresh
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup Milk, full-fat or bone broth—beef, chicken, or turkey
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced, optional
- 1 Onion, any variety, minced You can substitute any mixture of veggies, including carrots, sweet bell peppers, celery, etc. Just make sure that you have 1 cup total.
- 1 teaspoon Fine ground sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Fresh parsley, minced, optional
- 1 teaspoon Dried thyme substitute with 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
- 1 Large Egg
For the Glaze
- 1/4 cup Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Place the breadcrumbs in the bowl and gently mix with milk or bone broth to saturate. Add up to 1/2 cup of milk or bone broth.
- Once the breadcrumbs are saturated, add egg, garlic, onion, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup of ketchup, parsley, and thyme to the bowl and mix well.
- Add meat to the breadcrumb mixture and mix gently with an open hand until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix and do not squeeze the meat through your fingers.
- Free-form meat mixture into a loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet or use a loaf pan to shape the meat mixture. (See the recipe video.)
- Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of ketchup and the Worcestershire sauce together, and brush over the top and sides of the meatloaf.
- Place meatloaf into a preheated 350°F oven and bake until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Video
Notes
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Meatloaf Making Supplies
- Glass Bowls
- KitchenAid Food Processor
- Spatula
- Baking Sheet
- Loaf Pan
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Parchment Paper
- Basting Brush
- Organic Ketchup
- Worcestershire Sauce
Recommended Reading
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Lehman's, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, Plan to Eat, and More!
Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.
Disclaimer:I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.
I made this tonight, Just wait a little put some tomato paste on top with a little bit of cheese and bacon right before it was done and it was fabulous so keep up the good work love your recipes thank you ciao
Hi Linda, Wow! Sounds delicious!! Love, Mary
Best meatloaf I have ever had! I hated to make meatloaf because all the recipes I’ve ever tried we never liked, but you have got to try this recipe it’s so awesome, we will be having meatloaf quite often now. Thank you so much Mary you are the best.
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks so much for your kind comments. I’m so glad that you’re enjoying the meatloaf!
Thanks for being a subscriber and a sweet friend!
Love and God bless,
Mary
Hi Mary:
I made your (best ever) meatloaf tonight and my husband approved! I remember on the video that there was 1 egg but it is not in the printed version. So I had to watch the video again. I just wanted to let you know so that you could fix your printed recipe. Thanks for all you do to help us eat healthy!
PS> It looks like since I printed the recipe there has been an egg added to the glaze. The video puts that egg in the meatloaf.
Thank you!! ❤️🤗❤️