Easy Glazed Meatloaf

Easy Glazed Meatloaf can be a busy parent’s best friend. It whips up perfectly, reheats like a dream, and can even be made ahead or popped in the freezer for later. And it goes with almost everything! It’s hard to find a side dish that doesn’t go well with meatloaf. Potatoes, pasta, rice, salad, even just some garlic bread — they are all great alongside this easy meatloaf recipe. You have your choice of vegetable side dishes too, Anything from broccoli to squash to asparagus (and everything in between) will make a good accompanying bite to this weeknight dinner classic.

When I’m making this dish I tend to double everything and make one for “now” and one for “later” that goes straight in the freezer. I just freeze it straight in a non-stick loaf pan, wrapped in first plastic wrap, then foil. I find it keeps just fine for up to a month. When I’m ready to serve, I just pull the loaf out of the freezer, unwrap the foil and leave it in the plastic wrap to thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, then give it one hour completely unwrapped on the countertop right before baking. Just remember to always be sure to cook your meatloaf to an internal temperature of 160° if it’s been in the freezer or not. I can’t tell any difference between the frozen and fresh ones after they come out of the oven.

I like to use ground chuck for meatloaf. I think an 80/20 lean to fat mixture works best for a nice, juicy meatloaf. If you prefer leaner ground beef, like ground sirloin, that’s fine with this recipe. My only advice would be to watch your cooking times carefully and not overcook your meatloaf, as it could dry out a bit. The great thing about meatloaf is that, even if you do overcook it an dry it out a bit, you can just whip up a quick bit of extra glaze and offer it to your family or guests as a dipping sauce for the meat.

Easy Glazed Meatloaf

3.6 from 96 votes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

• 1 egg

• 1 onion

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup dried bread crumbs

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard

• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon oregano

• salt & pepper or seasoning salt to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Grease 5×9 inch loaf pan.
• Chop onion into fine dice.
• Combine ground beef, onion, egg, milk, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, and breadcrumbs. Add salt & pepper or seasoning salt to taste.
• Place meat mixture in 5×9 inch loaf pan.
• In small bowl, make glaze. Mix ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Pour over the meatloaf.
• Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 1 hour.
• Rest meatloaf for 10 minutes after removing from oven. Slice and serve.

Notes

• If you don’t have a loaf pan, just form your meat mixture into a “loaf” shape on a sheet pan or in a 9×13 baking dish.
• Substitute steak sauce for Worcestershire sauce, if desired.
• Yellow prepared mustard is preferred for the glaze with this recipe, but dijon or ground mustard can work as substitutes.
• White sugar can be substituted for brown sugar.
• Onion can be omitted or replaced with 1 tablespoon onion powder, or 1 tablespoon garlic powder if preferred.
• Dried oregano can be substituted with other dried herbs for different flavor profiles. Try an Italian seasoning mix, dried parsley, dried thyme, or dried sage.
• Italian breadcrumbs can be substituted for plain breadcrumbs.

I’m a big fan of mashed potatoes with meatloaf, especially if I’m also serving steamed vegetables as a side dish. It reminds me a lot of the “meat and potatoes” meals my grandma used to make. However, almost any side dish goes great with this recipe. It pairs really well with a rice pilaf, in my opinion. Macaroni and cheese is another favorite with meatloaf. I’d love to hear what your family likes best!